Hancock calls for increase of Cyber Essentials demands

Homeland April 6, 2017

The government is to renew its push on Cyber Essentials accreditation for businesses in advance of the Cyber Security Skills Strategy to be published in 2017.

Speaking at the Institute for Directors cyber security conference, minister for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said the government will be encouraging all businesses to take up the Cyber Essentials scheme.

He said: “Numbers are really starting to grow. Already, we’ve awarded more than 6,000 certificates to date, with the numbers more than tripling in the past year. We’ll be publishing the figures on take-up each month from now on.

“I mentioned the Government already requires many of its suppliers to hold a Cyber Essentials certificate. We’ll be strengthening this requirement to ensure even more of our contractors take up the scheme.

“I can announce today that we will beef up our requirements for contractors to use the scheme. And I can also I’m pleased to announce that a number of the country’s biggest firms have also agreed to encourage their suppliers to adopt Cyber Essentials. These include Barclays, BT, Vodafone, Astra Zeneca and, Airbus Defence & Space, and Intel Security.”

Hancock discussed the need for tighter cyber security throughout the supply chain: “I think this is a powerful signal that the security of our suppliers is as important as our own security – the two things are inextricably linked. It is also a recognition that Cyber Essentials is an effective tool which can be built on to achieve greater security in our organisations.

“To complement these new measures, we’ve also published updated Cyber Essentials requirements, to make the scheme easier to use. And we’ll be starting a marketing campaign on Friday to raise awareness and drive adoption of the scheme.”

With GDPR on the horizon, Hancock said that now was the time for companies to recognise cyber security requirements: “It’s important businesses and organisations take action. With the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation next year, it’s crucial all organisations understand what data they have and ensure it is protected appropriately. Taking these actions I’ve outlined will help. There is further guidance on GDPR on the Information Commissioner’s website.”

Hancock also indicated that a Cyber Security skills strategy will be published later in 2017.

The calls for greater awareness and cyber security come as the IoD and Barclays publish a report which shows that a number of UK businesses have no formal plan to protect themselves from a cyber-attack.

Cyber Essentials is the minimum requirement an organisation needs to implement to bid for new MOD requirements which include the transfer of ‘MOD identifiable information’. Our sources also indicate it may well become compulsory across all Public Sector contracts in the near future. Organisations are advised to sign up to the scheme as soon as possible to create a more robust business community for the UK.

It is a quick and simple process to become Cyber Essentials accredited with the DCI scheme. A team of security experts will help you achieve the required certification by providing guidance and feedback on your IT infrastructure.

The process is very straightforward and should only take a few days. Once you have applied, you will be directed to the online assessment portal where you can answer the self-assessment questions, it will probably take you a couple of hours to complete. This will be then assessed by the team and your accreditation awarded if successful. For a more robust cyber security, which is required as the risk level goes up in MOD contracts, some additional controls are required that can be evaluated through DCI Cyber Essentials Plus vulnerability tests.

Companies are advised not to delay and become Cyber Essentials accredited now.

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Cyber cyber essentials cyber security GDPR Matt Hancock