Published January 9, 2025 Written by [email protected]

Cyber security: What you need to know about protecting your organisation

Cyber security is essential for protecting your organisation against common online attacks such as malicious software and viruses. We look at the government launched scheme Cyber Essentials which is designed to protect against these attacks and is backed by the Federation of Small Businesses.

What is Cyber Essentials? 

Cyber Essentials is an effective, government backed scheme that will help you protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a range of common cyber-attacks. 

NDNA has achieved the Cyber Essentials Plus certification.

Cyber attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are very basic in nature, carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. They’re the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked.

Why is Cyber Essentials important?

Not only does Cyber Essentials help to protect your organisation against cyber attacks, it shows your customers that you are secure and being vigilant. Being Cyber Essentials certificated demonstrates your commitment to cyber security and reassures your customers that personal and sensitive data is safe in your hands.

There are two levels of Cyber Essentials certification:

Cyber Essentials

This 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 a target for more in-depth unwanted attention from cyber criminals and others. 

Certification gives you peace of mind that your defences will protect you against the vast majority of common cyber-attacks simply because these attacks are looking for targets which do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place. 

Cyber Essentials shows you how to address those basics and prevent the most common attacks. 

Cyber Essentials Plus 

Cyber Essentials Plus still has the Cyber Essentials trademark simplicity of approach, and the protections you need to put it in place are the same. Cyber Essentials Plus is different in that it has a hands-on technical verification which is carried out by a Cyber Essentials Technician to prove that the business passes a wide variety of simulated cyber threats and that all operating systems and applications are at the correct supported levels. 

What else is NDNA doing?

In addition to NDNA achieving certification for Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus our internal IT team routinely run Phishing \ Virus e-mail simulation tests on all employees to encourage vigilance and ongoing awareness of potential cyber threats. 

If an employee fails a simulation test, they are sent training links to improve threat awareness. This has given all our employees the tools to manage future vulnerabilities. 

What can you do to protect your organisation?

Awareness and prevention are key to protecting your organisation!

Never give out Wi-Fi passwords to people outside your organisation

Think twice before clicking on links and attachments that you receive within emails

Make sure that operating systems, applications and browsers are up to date

Make use of multi factual authentication if it is available

Be vigilant on social media, particularly LinkedIn, as information you share about your organisation can be used to build an attack.

Useful links:

Cyber Essentials scheme: overview – GOV.UK

Common Cyber Attacks: Reducing the Impact – NCSC.GOV.UK