This is the biggest update to Cyber Essentials technical controls since its launch. These were published on January 24th according to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – the body that provides Cyber Security accreditation in the UK and are designed to assess the quality of the security practices a business employs. 

 

Vissensa is pleased to announce that we have acheived Cyber Essentials Plus Certification at this new 2022 level.  

 

The new requirements, superseding earlier accreditations – includes revisions to the use of cloud services, home working, multi-factor authentication and password management. The revision has been published after taking input and advice from NCSC technical experts reacting to the latest threats and clearly demonstrates that both the subject of cyber security and certifications relating to it are a fast-moving target for everyone. 

 

Vissensa reviewed the new accreditation standards as part of their recent 2022 cyber assessment and certification which revealed that although our existing tight security posture was already at a standard that met the new guidance, the latest understanding of cyber threats from the NCSC showed there were further relevant process changes and modifications that could be taken to harden Vissensa’s security further.

CEO Steve Groom commented: “The completion of our 2022 Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation only served to highlight to all businesses that this process is akin to an annual MOT or safety check for your vehicle and is only valid for 12 months –  a long time in the cyber security space” He added “The uncomfortable truth is that many organisations are aiming for the lowest bar to gain cyber security accreditation forsaking the real objective of the NCSC initiative of hardening as many businesses in the UK from as many cyber threat vectors as possible”.  

 

Adding “What is apparent is that a business being Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus accredited is going to be viewed very similarly to a person being vaccinated against Covid, in that not having the certification may preclude the business from certain opportunities and contracts, but also to ensure our customers have peace of mind that we have been audited as part of this independent security assessment”  

For Vissensa’s 10 Step Guide to Cyber Security and more information on the NCSC 2022 updates see the following links: 

https://www.vissensa.com/guides/vissensas-10-steps-to-cyber-security/ 

 

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/update-to-the-cyber-essentials-technical-controls 

If you are interested in how to obtain Cyber Essentials Certification, please feel free to read our blog below;

Cyber Essentials Blog