The National Cyber Security Centre “Helping to make the UK the safest place to live and work online” The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was formally launched in 2017, as part of GCHQ, to be the UK’s national authority on the cyber security environment: sharing knowledge, addressing systemic vulnerabilities and providing leadership on key national cyber security issues.21 The NCSC’s establishment simplified the government’s operational structures, transformed the UK’s ability to respond to national-level cyber incidents, and initiated the roll-out of innovative digital services that have helped to make organisations and individuals automatically safer online. We are making sure that the NCSC is fit for the challenges of the next decade by clarifying the enduring capabilities and attributes that underpin its work, funding them on a sustainable basis, and focussing their use where operating experience to date tells us they will have the maximum possible impact at a national scale. 21 The enduring capabilities and attributes that underpin the NCSC’s work are: • World-class technical expertise in the cyber security disciplines and specialisms the UK needs; • Unparalleled insight into current and potential cyber threats – intent and capability – to UK interests; • Access to the full range of UK national security capabilities and authorities for cyber security goals; • Direct reach into cyber security communities in conjunction with partners in academia, industry, and internationally; • Cryptographic capabilities and services, crucial to the safety and security of UK interests globally. The NCSC’s principal responsibilities under the new strategy will be to: • Take direct action to reduce cyber harms to the UK by providing protection at scale through digital services (e.g. Active Cyber Defence), driving changes in technology, managing the response to nationallysignificant cyber incidents, and – with the National Cyber Force (NCF) – directly countering the cyber operations of our adversaries. HMG, National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 to 2021 (2016): paragraph 1.9 40 National Cyber Strategy