Cyber Security And Resilience Bill Progresses Through Parliament

The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill is making its way through Parliament, with MPs currently picking apart the details in the committee stage.

The Bill builds upon the foundation laid by the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018 (the NIS Regulations), the rules that currently underpin cyber security for critical infrastructure and digital services. If it passes, organisations should expect a wider net of businesses brought within the scope of the regulations, tighter cyber incident reporting rules, and beefed-up enforcement powers for regulators.

A quick refresher on the current rules

The NIS Regulations came into force back in May 2018, bringing the EU's NIS Directive into UK law. They were part of the Government's push to bolster the UK's cyber defences, recognising that the networks running our hospitals, power grids, and banking systems were increasingly in the crosshairs of attacks by cyber threat actors.