Oliver Dowden, Deputy Prime Minister, visits Porton Down, a top-secret defense establishment in Wiltshire
People should hold the battery – Deputy Prime Minister – the minister suggested using a radio, flashlight and candles in case of a cyber attack.
Oliver Dowden said homeowners should be prepared for the potential failure of digital devices in the event of a cyber attack. A cyber-attack causing a power outage that could send Britons back to the analogue era.
Speaking during a visit to Porton Down, a top-secret defense establishment in Wiltshire, he said it was the government's responsibility to test people's resilience in the event of a catastrophic disaster that could knock out conventional communications and other systems.
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He announced that next year the government would launch a “resilience website” that would explain to Britain's 28 million households what they may need to do to cope with a disaster and what they can do to help others who may be more vulnerable.
Oliver Dowden is shown the Porton Down laboratories where scientists are researching the biggest biological and chemical threatsMr Dowden, the minister responsible for ensuring Britain's disaster preparedness, said this meant resilience not just in the digital age, but also in “analog age.”
“We're trying to make sure people have resilience if for some reason your power goes out,” he said.
— Do people have a flashlight in the closet under the stairs? or candles or something else. Individual resilience is something I come back to again. What should we be telling people to make sure they're just prepared and resilient?
“Another example is radio. It used to be that everyone had access to a battery-powered FM radio. How many people actually have such a communication device that is independent of digital and electrical devices?
“If this was a public health emergency, the relevant officials would be on [the radio], and we would need to be able to communicate with people. We need to think about whether we have those resilient communication skills.
“So we shouldn't assume that the resilience we had as individuals when we were growing up is the same as what we have now. because society is so massively digitized.”
During his visit, Mr Dowden was shown the laboratories at Porton Down, where Ministry of Defense and NHS scientists are working to investigate and prepare responses to major biological , chemical and physical threats to the UK.
During his visit, Mr Dowden was shown the laboratories at Porton Down, where Ministry of Defense and NHS scientists work to investigate and prepare for the UK's biggest biological, chemical and physical threats.
During his visit During the visit, Mr Dowden was shown the laboratories at Porton Down, where Ministry of Defense and NHS scientists work to investigate and prepare for the UK's biggest biological, chemical and physical threats.
During his visit, Mr Dowden was shown the laboratories at Porton Down, where Ministry of Defense and NHS scientists work to investigate and respond to the UK's biggest biological, chemical and physical threats.
p>< p>His visit comes ahead of the presentation to Parliament on Monday of the first annual statement on the risks to Britain and its resilience in the face of natural or man-made disasters.
“One of these things could happen tomorrow,” Mr Dowden said, adding that was why the government had decided to create a sustainability website.
“It won't do me any good as a minister when suddenly a crisis comes, and I think: “What about personal resilience?” This doesn't mean the government is abdicating its responsibility, but part of my job is to try to coordinate this whole-of-society approach.”
Volunteering Center new website
The website will include a volunteering hub that will aim to harness people's willingness to help vulnerable people after a disaster in the same way that during Covid, volunteers worked at vaccination centers, directing traffic or people, or delivering food to others who had to self-isolate.
Britons will be asked to register with the volunteer center and give details of their experience, such as first aid, medical or practical skills, and experience of working with children, the vulnerable or sick. This will be coordinated with voluntary organizations such as St John Ambulance.
Mr Dowden also warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could increase threats to the UK. “The proverbial teenage kid sitting in his bedroom using AI will become a much better hacker than before,” he said.
“The ability of lone malicious individuals to be able to AI is expanding the ability to understand how to create biological threats. The same goes for chemical risks. AI should help us protect ourselves, but it certainly increases the risk.”
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