ISfL was established in 2003 for the London boroughs as a pilot for the WARP concept. WARPs are regional communities of trust centred around three basic elements:
- WARNINGS - the distribution of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) such as software vulnerabilities, zero-day exploits, hacker activities etc. Threats pertaining specifically to the public sector provide an additional value add to WARP membership.
- ADVICE - opportunitites to share good practice and other trusted information sharing. These take the forms of face to face forums as well as online sharing in a safe and secure environment.
- REPORTING - fostering a culture of sharing sensitive information in the event of a cyber incident. This can be done anonymously via the WARP operator if required. Sharing Incidents of Compromise can prove vital in allowing peers to protect themselves from similar attacks.
ISfL members meet every six weeks and rely on private sector partners for hosting the meetings. These are mutually beneficial relationships - suppliers provide venues and in return, they get to present to a captive audience.
Like all WARPs, ISfL works closely with The National Cyber Security Centre, MHCLG, the LGA and the Cyber Technical Advisory Group (CTAG). There is close collaboration between all the UK WARPs and if you want to find out more about WARPs, please visit https://warp.org.uk