With Cyber Essentials inspection and certification, you can better understand your risk and take steps to defend your company from threats.
Cyber Essentials
What is Cyber Essentials Accreditation, and why is it important?
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) created Cyber Essentials in June 2014 as a set of fundamental security procedures. Designed to make it easy for businesses of all sizes to protect themselves against typical cyber-threats.
Organizations in the UK Government supply chain must have a Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification. They are also advantageous to any organisation because they exhibit a dedication to and awareness of Cyber Security concerns.
What are the benefits of obtaining a Cyber Essentials Certification for your company?
It’s a sad reality that today’s business environment necessitates cybersecurity threat knowledge and mitigation.
Even if you aren’t legally required to get the Cyber Essentials certification as a public-sector organisation, there are numerous advantages to having it.
- Great protection: The Cyber Essentials certification provides excellent protection against 80% of frequent cyber-attacks! As a result, you can rest assured that your sensitive data will be better safeguarded.
- Win government contracts and open business opportunities: If your company wants to compete for government contracts, it must be Cyber Essentials certified. It communicates to business partners and prospective clients that you are working in a safe and secure digital environment, which opens up new business options.
- Increased credibility and reputation: Obtaining the Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates your dedication to safeguarding your own data as well as that of your customers and clients. The accreditation enhances your company’s reputation and demonstrates that you’re taking precautions to decrease the risk of cyber-attacks.
- Save money: The annual cost of the Cyber Essentials certification is only £300, while the average cost of a cyber attack on a small business is £1,380!
- Insurance cover: You can get £25,000 cyber breach insurance (if your revenue is less than £20 million) or lower rates (if your turnover is more than £20 million) if you have a Cyber Essentials certification.
Cyber Essentials
An SAQ (self-assessment questionnaire) is included in Cyber Essentials, followed by an external review. It is the lowest level of certification available and provides a solid basis for basic security.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus adds a more thorough auditing approach to the mix. It also safeguards against phishing and hacking. Unlike the Cyber Essentials certification, which needs self-assessment, Cyber Essentials Plus requires system testing to be performed by a third party.
The Cyber Essentials certification process
To pass the exam, you must show that you are protected in the five categories listed below:
Protect your hardware and software
To limit the number of inherent vulnerabilities, double-check that computers and network devices are properly setup. Change default passwords and user account names, and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for privileged accounts (two-factor authentication).
Keep your internet connection safe
Confirm that all internet connections utilised in your company are protected by a firewall, which serves as a secure bridge between your IT systems and the outside world (such as the Internet). Ascertain that only safe and needed network services may be accessed over the Internet, and that all devices that connect directly to the internet have a personal firewall installed and configured properly.
Control who has access to your information and services
Confirm that authorised users have user accounts and that each user has a unique and identifiable account to access your network and data. To minimise harm if an account is compromised, user privileges and permissions should be properly maintained in accordance with the “Principle of least privilege.”
Viruses and other malware must be avoided
Restriction on the use of known viruses and untrustworthy applications. Anti-virus and anti-malware software should be installed and updated on a regular basis.
Updating your device and software is essential
Ensure that all devices and software are always up to date, ideally with ongoing patch management. Confirm that your devices aren’t affected by any known security flaws for which patches are available. It is critical that your organization’s phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs are maintained up to date, regardless of the type. This is true for both operating systems and applications that have been installed.
Managed Security Services
Fully Managed IT customers have access to our comprehensive security solution.
Security Audit
With our auditing services, you will get a detailed view of your present security situation.
Cyber Essentials Plus
With Cyber Essentials inspection and certification, you can better understand your risk and take steps to defend your company from threats.
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