The government has launched a new cyber profession alongside a new vulnerability monitoring service (VMS) to reduce cyber risks and speed up fixes.
A dedicated government Cyber Profession will recruit and train cyber experts. The new government Cyber Profession is co-branded with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre.
The profession will introduce a competitive total employee offer, establish a dedicated Cyber Resourcing Hub to streamline recruitment, and create a clear career framework aligned with UK Cyber Security Council professional standards.
It will also create a government Cyber Academy for training and development, a new apprenticeship scheme to build future talent, and structured career pathways to strengthen long-term capability across the public sector.
VMS, the specialist government monitoring service, was introduced as part of the Blueprint for modern digital government, published in January 2025. Since its introduction, security weaknesses in public sector websites are fixed 6 times faster – cutting the average time from nearly two months to just over a week.
The vulnerabilities are in the Domain Name System (DNS). These weaknesses can allow attackers to redirect users to fraudulent sites, steal sensitive data, or take services offline entirely.
Before the VMS was introduced, a weakness in a government DNS record could go unnoticed for nearly 2 months.
The VMS continuously scans 6,000 UK public sector bodies, detecting around 1,000 different types of cyber vulnerabilities. If a weakness is identified, the relevant organisation is alerted with specific, actionable guidance.
Minister for Digital Government Ian Murray said: "Cyber-attacks aren’t abstract threats — they delay NHS appointments, disrupt essential services, and put people’s most sensitive data at risk. When public services struggle it’s families, patients and frontline workers that feel it.
"The vulnerability monitoring service has transformed how quickly we can spot and fix weaknesses before they’re exploited so we can protect against that. We’ve cut cyber-attack fix times by 84% and reduced the backlog of critical issues by three quarters. And as the service expands to cover more types of cyber threats, fix times are falling there too.
"But technology alone isn’t enough. Today I’m launching a new government Cyber Profession to attract and develop the talented people we need to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats - making government a destination of choice for cyber professionals who want to protect the services that matter most to people’s lives."
Dr Richard Horne, CEO of the NCSC, said: "Cyber security is more consequential than ever today with attacks in the headlines showing the profound impacts they can have on people’s everyday lives and livelihoods.
"As our public services continue to innovate, it is vital that they remain resilient to evolving threats and vulnerabilities are being effectively managed to reduce the chances of disruption.
"The government Cyber Action Plan is a crucial step in building stronger cyber defences across our public services and the launch of the government Cyber Profession today will help attract and retain the most talented professionals with the top-tier skills needed to keep the UK safe online."
