Public-private partnerships in tackling large scale cyberattacks: A comparative evaluation of the United Kingdom and Taiwan

Abstract

This research evaluates public-private partnerships in combating cyberattacks in the UK and Taiwan. First, the study analyses major cyberattacks and the factors influencing cybersecurity in both countries. Second, it assesses the effectiveness of current cyber defence strategies in addressing cyberattacks by comparing the approaches taken in the UK and Taiwan, while also evaluating the cyber resilience of both nations. Lastly, the research evaluates existing public-private partnerships by comparing those in the UK and Taiwan, and proposes recommendations for enhancing cooperation and collaboration mechanisms in tackling cyberattacks. A combined methodology of thematic analysis and grounded theory was utilised. The researcher recruited participants from both the UK and Taiwan and conducted semi-structured interviews. The participants fall into two categories: investigators and police officers with experience in tackling cyberattacks, and experts from cybersecurity firms. The finding indicates that the cybersecurity contexts of the UK and Taiwan reveal shared challenges, such as sophisticated, financially and politically motivated cyberattacks, evolving threat landscapes, and talent shortages, while also reflecting distinct geopolitical pressures and sector-specific vulnerabilities that shape each nation’s cybersecurity priorities. Additionally, both the UK and Taiwan are advancing cyber defence and resilience by adopting proactive, multilayered strategies that balance technological and human factors, prioritise critical assets within resource constraints, and emphasise swift detection, response, and recovery from cyber incidents. Lastly, both the UK and Taiwan have actively developed public-private partnerships (PPPs) in cybersecurity, recognising their strategic value in enhancing national cyber resilience, yet each faces challenges in policy implementation, collaboration efficiency, and information sharing that must be addressed through more structured, trust-based, and forward-looking cooperation. Consequently, this research highlights the current state of the cybersecurity industry, governmental plans for cybersecurity, and contributions from both government sectors and cybersecurity firms, with a particular focus on public-private partnerships. Finally, this research offers practical recommendations to law enforcement, the private sector, and academia to reflect on current strategies and tailor future approaches in cybersecurity.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Chi-Hsuan Cheng: orcid.org/0000-0002-5983-4398

ORCID for Christopher Hamerton: orcid.org/0000-0001-6300-2378

ORCID for Michelle Newberry: orcid.org/0000-0003-0085-3751

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