Craig Pearson
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme designed to help businesses protect themselves from common cyber attacks. As online threats evolve, achieving Cyber Essentials certification in 2024 ensures that organisations are equipped with fundamental security controls to defend against basic cyber threats.
Table of Contents
1. Secure Configuration
2. User Access Control
3. Malware Protection
4. Patch Management and Software Updates
5. Firewall & Network Security
6. Backing Up Data
7. Choose the Best Cyber Essentials Certification
8. Enhance Your Reputation and Save Money
9. Prepare for Cyber Essentials Certification
10. Regular Cyber Security Training
How Your IT Can Help
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Secure Configuration
Securing devices involves removing unnecessary software and disabling unused features to reduce potential entry points for cyber attackers. By streamlining systems and only running essential applications, businesses can significantly lower the risk of security breaches.
Another key step is to change default passwords immediately after installation, as they are often easy targets for hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities.
Secure configuration also includes ensuring all devices are correctly set up according to vendor recommendations. Applying the right security settings, such as firewalls and network controls, across your business infrastructure helps prevent unauthorised access and reduces exposure to threats.
These measures provide a solid foundation for protecting your systems and data from common cyber attacks.
2. User Access Control
Controlling user accounts is vital for maintaining security within your organisation. Implementing user access control policies that limit employee access to only what they need ensures sensitive information remains protected.
This approach, known as the principle of least privilege, minimises the chances of data leaks or unauthorised changes to your systems. It’s also important to regularly audit and remove unnecessary user accounts that no longer need access.
Managing admin accounts is particularly critical, as these provide higher levels of access to your systems. Limiting the number of people with special access privileges and regularly reviewing access rights helps prevent misuse.
This strengthens your defences and makes it easier to track who can grant access to sensitive areas of your network, further securing your data.
3. Malware Protection
Protecting your business from malicious codes requires the use of anti-malware software and antivirus software. These tools help identify and block threats like viruses, ransomware, and malware, which can damage systems or steal sensitive data.
Installing reputable software and enabling real-time protection is vital to maintaining a secure environment.
Regular updates to your malware protection tools are essential for staying ahead of emerging threats.
Ensuring that your systems follow vendor recommendations and updating software automatically helps to close any security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cyber criminals.
4. Patch Management and Software Updates
Enabling automatic updates for your software ensures that known security issues are quickly addressed, reducing the risk of cyberattacks.
These patches often fix security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers, making automatic updates a critical defence layer in your security measures.
Keeping systems up to date is not just about performance; itโs a key element of a strong cyber security posture.
Keeping your software up to date is essential for a strong cyber security posture. Avoiding common errors is keyโlearn about the 10 mistakes in cyber security and how to avoid them to ensure your business stays protected.
5. Firewall & Network Security
To strengthen your business’s defences, itโs essential to configure firewalls and secure your network devices to block unauthenticated inbound connections.
Firewalls act as the first line of defence by filtering incoming traffic and ensuring only trusted data passes through. Configuring your firewalls correctly helps protect your network from common cyber threats that target weak points.
Using network segregation adds an extra layer of protection by isolating critical systems, limiting the spread of malware or breaches.
Implementing secure internet gateways is also vital to filter and monitor data exchanges between your internal systems and external networks, further enhancing your security.
6. Backing Up Data
Regular data backups are essential for maintaining business continuity in the event of a cyber attack or system failure. Backups allow businesses to quickly restore important files, minimising disruption.
Using a combination of cloud services and local backups is a smart way to protect against threats like ransomware, ensuring data is not lost even if your primary systems are compromised.
By storing backups both locally and in the cloud, you create redundancy, which offers multiple recovery points.
This approach protects your business from data loss while ensuring operations can continue without significant downtime during an incident.
7. Choose the Best Cyber Essentials Certification
When selecting the right Cyber Essentials certification for your business, itโs important to understand the difference between the two levels.
Cyber Essentials involves a self-assessment process where businesses implement basic security controls, such as secure configurations, user access control, and malware protection.
This certification demonstrates a commitment to defending against common cyber attacks. In contrast, Cyber Essentials Plus includes a hands-on technical audit conducted by a qualified assessor, verifying the effectiveness of your security measures.
This level provides higher assurance for both businesses and clients.
8. Enhance Your Reputation and Save Money
Achieving Cyber Essentials certification offers several benefits, allowing businesses to build trust while reducing financial risks.
By showing customers and partners that you take cyber security seriously, you can strengthen your reputation and attract more business.
Also, certification enables businesses to bid for government contracts, meeting high security standards that are often required.
It also opens up opportunities to qualify for cyber insurance, providing financial protection in case of a security breach.
9. Prepare for a Cyber Essentials Certification
To achieve Cyber Essentials certification, businesses must begin by assessing their current cyber security measures and identifying any gaps.
This includes reviewing key areas like user access control, software updates, and network security.
The Cyber Essentials Readiness Toolkit can guide businesses through this process, ensuring they meet the required standards.
For those pursuing Cyber Essentials Plus, a technical audit may be necessary, where a qualified assessor will verify the effectiveness of the security measures in place.
10. Regular Cyber Security Training
Training staff is one of the most effective ways to protect your business from cyber threats. Employees should be taught to recognise common attacks like phishing and malware, which often target users directly. However, relying solely on annual training is no longer enough to combat evolving cyber threats. Learn why annual cyber security training isnโt sufficient anymore and how ongoing education can better protect your business.
Regular training sessions keep staff up to date on the latest risks and help minimise the chances of human error leading to security breaches.
In addition to general awareness, businesses should implement practical exercises, such as simulated phishing tests, to ensure employees can identify and respond to real-world threats.
This ongoing education builds a culture of security within the company, making every employee part of the defence against potential cyber attacks.
How Your IT Department Can Help
At Your IT Department, we specialise in helping businesses achieve Cyber Essentials certification, ensuring that your organisation is protected from common cyber attacks.
Our team guides you through the process, from initial assessment to meeting the Cyber Essentials Plus requirements, providing hands-on technical support to strengthen your IT infrastructure.
We take a proactive approach, offering continuous monitoring and dedicated customer service to ensure your systems remain compliant and secure.
With our help, businesses can meet Cyber Essentials requirements, gain client trust, and secure valuable government contracts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions businesses have when considering Cyber Essentials certification.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme designed to help organisations protect themselves from the most common cyber attacks. It involves implementing basic cyber security measures like secure configurations, access controls, and malware protection. By achieving this certification, businesses demonstrate a commitment to protecting their systems and data from potential cyber threats.
How much does Cyber Essentials certification cost?
The cost of Cyber Essentials certification can vary depending on the level chosen. For a basic self-assessment, prices start around ยฃ300. However, Cyber Essentials Plus, which involves a technical audit for hands-on verification, will be more expensive due to the added scrutiny and testing involved.
What are the main differences between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?
The key difference is in the assessment process. Cyber Essentials is self-assessed, where businesses evaluate their own systems based on the provided criteria. Cyber Essentials Plus, however, involves an independent technical audit conducted by a certified assessor to verify the security measures are in place and working effectively. This provides a higher level of assurance for businesses and clients alike.
Why should my business get Cyber Essentials certified?
Getting Cyber Essentials certified demonstrates that your business takes cyber security seriously. It reassures clients, helps meet requirements for certain government contracts, and reduces the risk of common cyber threats. Some businesses may also qualify for cyber insurance, which can provide financial protection in the event of a breach.
How long does it take to get Cyber Essentials certified?
The time it takes to achieve Cyber Essentials certification depends on the current state of your cyber security measures. If your business already meets many of the basic controls, the process could take just a few weeks. However, if significant improvements are needed, it may take longer to implement the necessary changes before the certification can be granted.