What is Cyber Essentials?
For businesses it is important to
understand what a cyber-attack is and to prevent becoming victim unfortunately
now common thing, meaning being in a state of constant vigil.
Cyber-attacks come in all shapes & sizes, and you may not be to direct target of an attempt, in fact most are random and rely upon the law of averages for criminals to be successful. They are the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked.
Our advice is designed to prevent these attacks. The vast majority are very basic in nature and carried out by relatively unskilled individuals.
In my experience of dealing with
countless cyber and digital forensic investigations the majority of cyber
criminals or hacker are low level opportunists that exploit security flaws,
through using automated software. You often see stereotypical image -
However, I have never seen anyone at their keyboard up to no good, whilst wearing a hoodie… ever. It’s a bit uncomfortable and you can’t sense anyone coming up from behind! An insider threat to you business is more likely be the risk of harm, either deliberately or accidentally.
There are two levels of
certification available; Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
“Cyber Essentials” is a self-assessment option that gives you protection against a wide variety of the most common cyber-attacks. This is important because vulnerability to basic attacks can mark you out as target for more in-depth unwanted attention from cyber criminals and others.
Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect against most common cyber-attacks simply because these attacks are looking for targets which do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place.
“Cyber Essentials Plus” still has the Cyber Essentials trademark simplicity of approach, and the protections you need to put in place are the same, but for Cyber Essentials Plus a hands-on technical verification is carried out.
Q. Do I Need Cyber Essentials?
You may have been asked for confirmation of cyber essentials for a contract. This becoming more common and a basic requirement for many companies wishing to trace and evidence their application of security measures to protect themselves and customers.
Cyber Essentials is not for everyone however, and dependant on the nature of your business and security requirements, other more advanced Standards may be required; however, Cyber Essentials is an excellent starting point.
Q. Is Cyber Essentials ISO/IEC 27001?
No, Cyber Essentials is not ISO/IEC 27001, which is an international standard that provides the specification for an ISMS (information security management system) and a systematic approach to managing information security risk. It goes considerably further than Cyber Essentials, providing 114 security controls that encompass people, processes, and technology. This level of certification can be expensive for organisations and if ISO 27001 is required a more cost-effective alternative may be the IASME Cyber Assurance Standard, (now at version 6).
Q. What does Cyber Essentials cost?
The cost of Cyber Essentials is
entirely based upon this size of your organisation:
Cyber Essentials Certification is renewed annually, thus this is not a one-off fee.
Q. How long does it take to complete Cyber Essentials?
It can be done in less than a day if you have all the control measures in place with no gaps.
Q. Why use ADAS-LTD?
I am a small ‘start- up’ business, just a little fish swimming around a huge pond (so-to-speak); however, I am different because I try to make the certification process more personable, less daunting, and complicated. Which can be the case for some businesses. I try not to compete with the big cyber security companies, win your contract, sell a managed service or equipment. I am simply here to help the little guys like you and me become more secure and protect your business from digital harm. I will hold your hand throughout, proving great service and value.
Buy your Cyber Essentials Certification application here!