The Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) has launched a classification system to categorize cyber events affecting UK organizations.
This initiative provides a way to assess and communicate the severity of cyber incidents. The system ranks events on a scale from one (least severe) to five (most severe).
Cybersecurity Monitoring
The way we think about the Cyber Monitoring Centre classification system is similar to how tornadoes or hurricanes are categorized by severity. Think of the CMC scale as analogous to:
- The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies hurricanes from Category 1 (least severe) to Category 5 (most severe).
- The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale for tornadoes runs from EF0 to EF5 based on wind speed and damage.
Much like these weather-related scales, the CMC aims to provide a clear, straightforward method (1 through 5) to communicate a cyber event’s severity and potential impact. Instead of measuring wind speed and physical destruction, the CMC scale evaluates financial impact, the number of affected organizations, and other data points that capture the intensity and consequences of a cyber incident.
Objective Assessment of Major Cyber Incidents
A Technical Committee chaired by former National Cyber Security Centre CEO Ciaran Martin will analyze incidents based on a range of data. The classification applies to events with a financial impact exceeding £100 million, involving multiple organizations, and where sufficient data is available for evaluation.
Martin emphasized the importance of the new system, stating, “Measuring the severity of incidents has proved very challenging. This could be a huge leap forward. I have no doubt the CMC will improve the way we tackle, learn from, and recover from cyber incidents.”
He added, “If we crack this, and I’m confident that we will, ultimately it could be a huge boost to cybersecurity efforts not just here but internationally too.”
Public Reports on Cyber Incidents
Once categorized, the CMC will publish the event’s severity level through multiple channels. Reports will include supporting analysis and insights, made available at no cost.
CMC CEO Will Mayes highlighted the increasing cyber risk for UK organizations. He said, “The risk of major cyber events is greater now than at any time in the past as UK organizations have become increasingly reliant on technology.”
He emphasized the initiative’s broader impact, saying, “The CMC has the potential to help businesses and individuals better understand the implications of cyber events, mitigate their impact on people’s lives, and improve cyber resilience and response plans.”
Full details on the methodology and categorization framework are available on the CMC website.
