Cyber Essentials Technical Controls Update
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is releasing the most significant update to the Cyber Essentials scheme, including the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications, officially released on 24th January 2022.
Changes to the Cyber Essentials technical controls come after a short period of dramatic change, where digital transformation and cloud adoption have been hugely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and working practices have changed for good, with home, and now hybrid working, a norm for most.
The NCSC said: “Cyber Essentials is a simple but effective government-backed scheme that helps organisations of all sizes defend against the most common cyber threats. It provides reassurance to organisations and their customers that their systems are secure from basic cyberattacks. A Cyber Essentials certification is also often a requirement for organisations working on UK government contracts.
The NCSC and its delivery partner for Cyber Essentials IASME have recently completed a major technical review of the scheme, the results of which have informed the updated requirements that make up the controls. These updates will help organisations maintain their basic cyber hygiene, providing reassurance for managers, staff and customers.”
- Updates to the technical controls include:
- Revisions to the use of cloud services
- Home working directives
- Multi-factor authentication
- Password management
- Security updates
- And many more
You can read a technical explanation on the updates from IASME here.
All Cyber Essentials certification applications made on or after 24th January 2022 will have the new technical controls applied. This will mean that added efforts are needed to address the new requirements.
For anyone needing support to prepare for and achieve their Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification, please get in contact with us. Our experts can guide you through the process step-by-step and as a government approved Cyber Essentials Certifying Body, we’ll get you certified in 48 hours, with an option to take our Pass First Time service for peace of mind, less stress and unlimited consultancy.
