Government’s Share and Defend service disrupts online crime

Developed by experts at the NCSC, the Share and Defend service works to disrupt online crime by sharing near real-time data on known fraudulent and malicious websites with Internet Service Providers, which can then prevent customers from clicking through.  

Online content such as fake shops, phishing sites and malicious links – including from e-mails reported to the NCSC by members of the public – are being blocked automatically, in turn providing better protection at scale.    

Security Minister Dan Jarvis MBE announced the partnership in a keynote speech at the Cyber Resilience Summit 2025, hailing it as an example of Government working with businesses to keep the country safe. The announcement comes as the Government prepares to publish the National Cyber Action Plan in the New Year.

Speaking to an audience of business leaders in the City of London, the Security Minister said the National Cyber Action Plan will be a “business-first Action Plan, written for businesses, written with businesses”.

Jarvis added that, in relation to the Action Plan, the Government has already consulted circa 400 individual partners across the business community, Critical National Infrastructure and allied nations.

Strong partnerships

Dan Jarvis observed: “I’m very pleased that the cutting-edge Share and Defend service has blocked almost one billion attempts to access malicious content. It shows we are making Britain a hard target for cyber criminals by protecting businesses and citizens on a daily basis.”

Jarvis added: “The Government will continue to use technology and build strong partnerships across industry in order to secure our nation against threats and boost economic growth.”

Dr Richard Horne, CEO of the NCSC, responded: “At a time when we are all increasingly dependent on technology to run our lives, the NCSC’s Share and Defend service is helping to protect the British public at an unprecedented scale. As one of our Active Cyber Defence services, this capability demonstrates the impact that we can have when we intervene to block malicious activity, while working alongside industry partners.”

Further, Horne noted: “Collaboration is essential for proactively countering the threat. We now look forward to extending the success of the programme and driving up our national cyber resilience.”

Co-ordinated action

Claire Gillies, CEO at the BT Group’s Consumer Division, said: “Our role as a founding partner of the Share and Defend programme aligns with the priority we put on protecting the UK. As cyber threats continue to grow for consumers and businesses across the country, this announcement demonstrates the value of strong and co-ordinated action. Ongoing collaboration between Government and industry is essential for safeguarding the UK’s digital landscape and ensuring a safer online environment for all.”

Share and Defend partners also include the Cyber Defence Alliance, TalkTalk, PXC, Vodafone and Jisc, the UK’s national research and education network operator. The NCSC is looking to onboard new partners to extend the reach such that more citizens and businesses from across the UK can benefit from protection.