Britain plans to recruit convicted computer hackers to a newly set up cyber defence force if they pass security vetting, the head of the unit said on Tuesday. The Joint Cyber Reserve Unit was announced by the UK Government in September.
Under the 500 million pound initiative, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is set to recruit hundreds of reservists as computer experts to work alongside regular armed forces. The unit will defend national security by safeguarding computer networks and vital data, and it will also launch strikes in cyberspace if necessary.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he could foresee circumstances in which convicted hackers could be employed. “Each individual case would be looked at on its merits,” he said.
“The conviction would be examined in terms of how long ago it was, how serious it was, what sort of sentence had followed. So I can’t rule it out.” lt Col Michael White, the head of the new cyber unit said he would “look at individuals in the round” when assessing applicants. Recruitment would be focused on “capability development” rather than “personality traits”, he added.