The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has just released its detailed report on the security of the UK’s telecommunications sector. The recent UK government’s decision on the role of the Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer Huawei broadly adheres to the NCSC’s recommendations.

The NCSC report discusses possible threats to telecommunications systems and appropriate mitigation of the risks posed by those threats.

The NCSC recommendations include the development of Telecoms Security Requirements (TSRs) that will provide clarity to telecoms operators as to the security controls they should implement.

The NCSC also recommends that high risk vendors should be excluded from core networks. They also recommend the diversification of the telecoms market to avoid a high risk vendor becoming the dominant supplier of telecoms equipment.

The setting up of a national telecoms lab is also recommended. This lab will act as a research facility and amenity for academia, government bodies and telecoms operators to enhance and test the security of telecoms systems.

The PTT online course “Telecommunications systems security” provides an overview of the protection of personal data held by telecommunications providers against misuse and the protection of telecoms systems against intrusion and fraudulent misuse.