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National Cyber Security Centre updates for Businesses
NCSC has launched two flagship new services designed to help millions of UK businesses stay secure online and protect their livelihoods.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – unveiled the services to coincide with the latest phase of its Cyber Aware campaign, which is aiming to raise awareness of cybersecurity among the country’s small businesses, microbusinesses and organisations and sole traders.
With official statistics showing more than a third of small businesses suffered a cyberattack last year, the NCSC urged them to make use of its Cyber Action Plan and Check Your Cyber Security tools.
The Cyber Action Plan can be completed online in under five minutes and results in tailored advice for businesses on how they can improve their cybersecurity.
Check your cyber security – which is accessible via the Action Plan – can be used by any small organisation including schools and charities and enables non-tech users to identify and fix cybersecurity issues within their businesses.
Small businesses are a common target for cyber criminals, with the government’s last Cyber Breaches Survey revealing that 38% of the UK’s small businesses suffered a cyber incident over a 12-month period. The range of attacks can vary widely, from business email compromise to denial of service and ransomware attacks.
Find out more about NCSC resources, including guidance and support for SMEs, sole traders and start ups, and guidance on different types of cyberattacks.
Board toolkit
NCSC has also launched the refreshed cybersecurity board toolkit. With the UK and US’s shared interest in raising awareness of good cyber security to boards on both sides of the Atlantic, the toolkit will be launched in collaboration with CISA, our US counterparts.