Cyber Essentials certified
Cyber Essentials is the UK Government-backed cybersecurity certification, owned by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and assessed by IASME. It covers five technical controls (boundary firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and patch management) designed to block the volume attacks (commodity malware, phishing, ransomware) that account for the bulk of UK SME incidents.
- Boundary firewalls and internet gateways configured to block unsolicited traffic
- Secure configuration: default passwords removed, unnecessary services disabled
- User access control: least-privilege, MFA on admin accounts, leavers process
- Malware protection: endpoint protection, application whitelisting where appropriate
- Patch management: security updates applied within 14 days of release for high/critical vulnerabilities
Why this matters
on a real job.
Cyber Essentials is a mandatory requirement for most central government contracts since 2014, and increasingly a baseline expectation for NHS Trusts, councils and large commercial buyers. For a fire & security contractor handling building access data, CCTV recordings and resident contact details, it's the published proof that we hold supplier data to a recognised standard.