Cybersecurity · Industry brief

438 new cyber security firms were established in the UK last year, bringing the total number of cyber businesses to 2,603, according to techUK's Government Cyber Security Sectoral Analysis 2026. The UK cyber security sector employs 69,600 skilled workers and contributes £9.1 billion to the economy. TechUK has submitted responses to multiple government consultations on cybersecurity policy, including the Telecoms Security Act, the Cyber Security of Artificial Intelligence, the Code of Practice for Software Vendors, and ransomware measures for critical national infrastructure.

The Colorado water utility incidents from August 2026 demonstrate vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure protection. Hackers accessed systems at two small private water providers serving fewer than 200 people each, changing equipment settings and disabling alarms, though water quality remained unaffected. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provided technical assistance and urged other water system operators to review cybersecurity measures and install updates. Small utilities face particular risk due to lack of dedicated security personnel and resources, while remote equipment control via internet-connected programmable logic controllers creates additional attack vectors. The FBI and EPA had previously reported similar incidents across at least seven states in July 2026, where attackers modified IP addresses and passwords on industrial controllers, sometimes causing water pressure loss and flooding. Experts note attacks on less-protected small organizations may serve as preparation for larger operations, though no evidence confirmed this for the Colorado cases.