At the University, Cyber Essentials compliance is often necessary to secure research funding and that’s why it is vital we adhere to it.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It is designed for organisations and companies to demonstrate best practice in cyber security, helping them build resilience against cyber-attacks and protecting sensitive data.
The scheme outlines five technical control themes:
- firewalls
- secure configuration
- user access control
- malware protection
- and security update management.
Compliance with the scheme is achieved by applying security controls in each of these areas. The University currently holds Cyber Essentials certification but in August this year it will need to be recertified to meet the requirements.
For more details on Cyber Essentials, please refer to the scheme overview.
What is changing?
The NCSC updated the Cyber Essentials specification in January to include management of mobile devices (such as smartphones, laptops and tablets) and cloud software. This webpage provides more details on these changes.
Who will be impacted by these changes?
The recertification will only apply to colleagues (and their IT equipment) who are working on research contracts where compliance with Cyber Essentials is specified in the contract.
What do I need to do now?
We are currently emailing individuals who this will apply to, however if you think you will be affected as you work on a contract where Cyber Essentials compliance is required, please contact Greg Marshall by emailing [email protected].
In the next couple of weeks, further updates will be given to those individuals directly impacted.
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Greg Marshall by emailing [email protected].
If you want to learn more about the Cyber Essentials scheme and the progress towards recertification, please visit the Cyber Essentials SharePoint Site.
