The UK has launched a new cyber security command centre to help combat network intruders and forge offensive attacks against opponents.
The country has hired a number of former hackers to help staff the new Cyber Security Operations Centre, which will begin functioning in September.
The new cyber security centre will be based in Cheltenham at Britain’s famed secret eavesdropping facility known as GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters).
GCHQ, also known as “the doughnut” for its circular layout, achieved notoriety in the 1980s when news reports revealed that it was part of the global satellite surveillance operation known as Echelon run by intelligence agencies in Britain, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
In addition to the cyber security center at GCHQ, the Government is also launching an Office of Cyber Security to protect Britain’s IT infrastructure, conduct cyber offensive strategies and attacks and serve as liaison between government and private industry on cyber security matters.
