Kurt Roosen

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗖𝗦𝗖 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗡𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀 The NCSC’s latest guidance for the CNI sector, published on 28 January 2026, is a timely reminder of a reality many organisations still underestimate: 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 “𝗶𝗳”, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 “𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻”. The guidance highlights that cyber attacks—particularly against Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)—are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated, and potentially far more destructive. It it is entirely plausible that highly capable threat actors will deliberately target UK CNI to cause large-scale disruption. 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀, 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀. We have already seen the impact of major cyber incidents on leading UK organisations in sectors such as automotive and retail. If similar disruptions were to occur in healthcare, energy, or transport, the consequences would extend far beyond financial loss—affecting essential services and society’s ability to function normally. The key message from the NCSC is clear: resilience must be the priority. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗹𝘆—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. #CyberSecurity #CyberResilience #CNI #IncidentResponse #RiskManagement #OperationalResilience Nuvantiq

10

1 Comment

this is a great little book which anyone involved in public sector: systems, cybernetics, service design etc., should read, because it explains, in detail, how easy it is to steal and hide huge amounts of poorly-protected public sector money. so service systems designers need to know how the enemy will abuse their systems, and take steps to prevent it. https://lnkd.in/egEZ8NKT

2

Scaled to the Isle of Man civil service, this equates to a productivity gain equivalent of ~77 FTEs. “The trial found that using generative AI such as Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with everyday tasks – including drafting documents, summarising lengthy emails, updating records, and preparing reports – saved users an average of 26 minutes per day. That adds to nearly 2 weeks of time saved per year per person” https://lnkd.in/emrtxFMM

2

1 Comment

My *quick* first read of the UK gov's publications today on Copyright and AI following recent consultations. Based on reading the summary (section A) (8 pp) of the main report but looking up some points in the main text (> 100 pages) to clarify - https://lnkd.in/etCmHEZ5 I also used this gov statement which adds some timings on next steps - https://lnkd.in/eQPwWnB5 Some cautious action points but also interesting as a mix of "ok, we won't do that", "we need more info", "let's see what happens" and "less may be more." Quite refreshing in contrast to the usual action bias (ok they don't put it quite like that and it has some embarrassing guff - "AI makers not takers") General points: - Evidence on impact of copyright on AI devpt in UK is "limited and uncertain" - There's lot of litigation, esp in US (😲 ) and various reg initiative esp in EU (🫨) - gov wants to wait and see how this plays out. Fair enough. Proposals: 1. Copyright exception for AI training / the "opt-out" - This is the headline of course - dropped because of strong opposition 2. Require disclosure of training data - Most respondents want this but AI co.s oppose it except in a high level sense (to me this sounds like the position the OSI took) - Gov unsure what's best and plans to work on it but without a stated timetable 3. Labelling of AI content - Wide support for labelling wholly AI-generated content, but AI-assisted content is recognised as more complex - Gov plans to establish a taskforce - "interim report" in autumn 2026 4. Technical standards to express how work can be used - Differing views on whether to leave to market or whether requires legislation - Gov unsure what's best yet but will study further and publish a report 5. Licensing - Gov doesn't plan to intervene in the licensing market but will establish a working group to look at whether there's a role for government to support creatives in licensing their work 5. Enforcement - Gov recognises that AI poses new challenges to IP enforcement - The issue of extraterritorial reach and training overseas (as arising in the English Getty / Stability litigation) is flagged as of particular interest to respondents - For now, it plans to monitor the issue rather than legislate 6. Copyright for computer-generated works - The government plans to repeal section 9(3) as it's just confusing (though there's a caveat that it's still open to evidence that it helps, if anyone has some such evidence) - Courts will be left to apply ordinary copyright principles to AI-assisted works 7. Digital replicas / deepfakes - There's some support for doing *something* to protect people's images and voices but there are different views on this and a need to allow for legitimate innovation - Gov acknowledges "new risks for artists and the general public" and plans to launch a new consultation in summer 2026 to explore options I'm sure I've missed things. Report: https://lnkd.in/etCmHEZ5 Government statement: https://lnkd.in/eQPwWnB5

12

10 Comments

Proud to see Civica continuing to lead important conversations in the public sector. As part of #techUKLPS and #techUKdigitalPS, we’ve shared key insights on local government reorganisation, devolution and the digital transformation journey. If you're working in or with local government, these are worth a read.   #Civica #GovTechChampion #ThoughtLeadership #LocalGovernment #Devolution #LGR

95

3 Comments

Member News ⬇️ hedgehog lab appoints a new Director of Public Sector, strengthening its commitment to delivering impactful digital services across government and public sector organisations. https://buff.ly/TSzm3Wv

3

#ForThePublicGood - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has published the IT Reuse for Good charter on govuk to encourage organisations to #donate #digital #devices for redistribution to people in need - it has launched the initiative with digital #inclusion charity Good Things Foundation and claimed early support from major companies including Deloitte and VodafoneThree. The charter encourages organisations to change how they manage and dispose of IT assets, with the aim of increasing device donations to the 1.5 million people in the UK who lack access to a basic laptop, tablet and smartphone. https://lnkd.in/dGAUX9qA

8

1 Comment

How can we make local government websites more citizen-centric? 🤔 David Bishop,Founder at Digital Journey Coach the mind behind Council Insight, talks to Kazima Abbas,(Sub-Editor) about bridging the gap between technical web teams and the actual needs of the public. It’s not just about data; it’s about empathy and user journeys. Check out the technical journey behind this impactful tool: https://lnkd.in/gCBrARDn

15

Digital public services – citizen and data services improving local government delivery and outcomes. How the Improvement Service works to unify datasets across Scotland's local authorities - improving online access to services ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eP3Wc2TN #data #access #Scotland #services

9

We provide independent, evidence based Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) Assessments aligned to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Guidance. The CAF, developed by NCSC, sets out an outcomes-based method for assessing how well cyber risks to essential functions are being managed. It is structured around four security objectives and fourteen cyber security principles, supported by defined outcomes and indicators of good practice. https://lnkd.in/eQpZHCA5

6

Please note that from 8 September 2025, new and existing users will need to use multi-factor authentication when logging into Online Services (IP Australia).

11

DNS in the News, 9th March 2026 Details of selected press articles, conference papers etc from the last two weeks or so that may be of interest, mainly with some connection to #DNS and associated topics (link in the comments). Organisations and people mentioned this week include ICANN, Michael Palage, CircleID, Vrinda Tulsian, Karan Saini, Open Technology Fund, The Internet Governance Project at Georgia Tech, Branden Palacio, Marquette University, APNIC, Christian Dawson, i2Coalition, Titi Shodiya, Infoblox, Jim Mozley, Nic W., Michael Riedl, Team Internet Group, Thorsten Scherf, Ethereum, Vercara, EuroDIG - European Dialogue on Internet Governance   Topics mentioned this week include the DNS Root Server System, DNS blocking, Piracy Shield, protective DNS, AI agent discovery, brand impersonation, new gTLD round, #DoT, #DoH, #Linux, #ENS, Ethereum Name Service, #cybersecurity, #malware     Link in the comments 

9

1 Comment