Written question asked by Lord Mendelsohn (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 April 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Friday, 4 May 2018 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Data Protection

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure UK companies and customers are protected from data breaches and malware attacks, including point of sale breaches.

Answer: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established in 2016 to help make the UK the safest place to live and do business online. To that end, the NCSC provides expert guidance for all organisations in the UK, large and small, including businesses and industry, government departments, the critical national infrastructure, universities and charities. Following this advice will enable these institutions and companies to put measures in place to help protect themselves from cyber attacks, and help to protect the UK’s economic prosperity and reputation.

Secondary information