UK's cyber warriors go into battle in March

The UK's new cyberwarfare unit will be ready for action on 10 March, according to the government.

The Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), located at GCHQ in Cheltenham, will have an initial staff of 19, said Baroness Crawley.

CSOC will monitor the internet for threats to UK infrastrucutre and counter-attack when necessary.

The staffing figure, released in response to a Parliamentary question, puts paid to recent hyperbole suggesting the intelligence agencies were recruiting a 50-strong "army" of teenage hackers.