Month: April 2018

NCSC Alert – A Welcome Approach to Defending Critical National Infrastructure

Last week the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an unprecedented alert regarding malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian government. This marked a significant milestone in the international fight against the cyber threat that our country, and in particular our Critical National Infrastructure, faces. The alert was particularly noteworthy for 3 reasons:

  • The alert was written and issued in full partnership with colleagues in the United States from both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security. This is the first time this has happened; whilst there has long since been excellent cooperation across the pond (this is one area where the ‘special relationship’ is alive and well) there has never before been such a clear demonstration of the strength and depth of the partnership. Such a unified approach will ensure resilience capability develops at pace whilst also sending a powerful message to our adversaries.
  • The alert speaks clearly and with certainty about attribution. It unequivocally calls out Russian intent to exploit our cyber infrastructure and records it plainly in the public record. This level of certainty will be rooted in robust intelligence and it is reasonable to surmise that clear evidence of Russian intent and activity exists. Until very recently this level of intelligence and its associated analysis would be heavily classified and distribution would be limited. Releasing such intelligence product into the public domain is a game changer. To my mind the fact that this can now happen is one of the biggest successes of the NCSC.
  • The technical note actually offers simple and practical guidance that can be implemented by organisations of all sizes. It explains Russian tactics and techniques, offers tips on how to identify compromises and suggests mitigation actions. In short it is a useful guide to those at the coalface working in cyber defence. Similar notes in the past have often been overly generic and bland to the point of uselessness.

It is difficult to overstate how important and welcome this more open and more technically useful approach is. The cyber world is becoming more collaborative and more open – this trajectory must be maintained if we are going to overmatch the threat and generate genuine resilience.

Getting this right is nationally important. We are beginning to talk openly and in detail about the threat to our Critical National Infrastructure, indeed the Joint Technical Report released last week explicitly spoke about Russian prepositioning on Critical National Infrastructure targets.

This is an extremely positive development; the first step to addressing a problem is to be honest about its existence. With aligned leadership at the national level on both sides of the Atlantic it is really encouraging to see that process beginning.

LEJOG Training Update

With only 5 weeks remaining before the ‘grand depart’ on my LEJOG attempt this is a good time to reflect on my preparations.

Training: The seemingly eternal winter coupled with a particularly busy work schedule delayed the start of my training effort by a couple of weeks. I didn’t really get going until the middle of February, and even then most rides were a fairly dark and cold experience. The improving weather and longer days have brought the fun back and in the last couple of weeks I have started ramping up the miles to an average of 100 per week. From the outset I have attempted to train at a sustainable pace (10-12 mph including stops) and at full weight including loaded panniers. This has meant adopting a different mindset and a style of riding that is all about efficiency; it doesn’t matter how quickly you get to the top of the hill but it does matter how much energy you preserve getting there. As I start to do longer rides my main concern is being able to ride significant distance day after day. Having done multi-day endurance events before (albeit not on a bike) I am heartened by how quickly physical exertion becomes ‘normal business’ for the body. I’m hoping that happens to me pretty soon after the start of LEJOG!

So with just over 500 miles on the clock I’m a little behind where I hoped to be but overall not too far off the pace.

The Bike: Back in January I bought a new Ridgeback Panorama touring bike. In short, I’m delighted with it. It does exactly what it is supposed to. It is at its best fully loaded and gliding along at a stately pace. It is comfortable, smooth and unexciting – perfect for touring! The big gear range is invaluable and I have made it up some pretty chunky inclines even with maximum weight. With Schwalbe Marathon tyres fitted as standard, I have gone off road with confidence (or at least more confidence than I have in my navigation, which was probably the reason I was off road in the first place…) And the disc brakes are excellent; without doubt they saved me on a particularly steep country lane – or more accurately they saved the bumper of the car in front of me! Special mention needs to go to the Ortlieb Classic panniers which are genuinely waterproof and carry everything I need (rear panniers only) whilst being ridiculously easy to clip on and remove.

Fundraising: I am riding to raise money for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. I have set up JustGiving pages, which can be accessed here:

This is the first I have advertised these pages, but I plan pushing them quite hard over the next few weeks. Consider this a pre-warning of the pestering to come! In all seriousness, I would be hugely grateful for any contribution in sponsorship you can make. Every penny of the money raised will go to the two life changing charities mentioned above.

And finally, if you want to ride any sections of the route with me, or if you just want to say hello en route, please get in contact and we can arrange it.

Now back to the training……