With the surge in employees working remotely, cybersecurity for businesses globally has become critical. It has particularly become a challenge for small businesses to boost their cybersecurity standards against evolving cyberthreats.
With an aim to help small and medium-sized businesses combat rising cyberattacks, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has created the “Cyber Action Plan.” The Cyber Action Plan is a digital cybersecurity self-assessment service for micro-businesses and sole traders to secure their digital landscape and defend against various cyber risks. It was created after the government’s survey, which revealed that nearly 50% of micro and small businesses reported cyberattacks and data breaches in the past year. Around 46% were victims of these cyber incidents – up from 31% the previous year.
The new action plan has been developed as part of the U.K.’s Cyber Aware campaign. Cyber Aware is a government advice platform helping individuals and organizations on how to stay secure online against different cyber frauds.
In addition, the NCSC will also advise and guide organizations of all sizes to move their physical operations online securely. The agency invited micro businesses and sole traders to complete a short questionnaire that generates a personalized list of actions linked to the Cyber Aware behaviors.
Jonathan Geldart, Director General, Institute of Directors, said, “We know from our members that cyber-crime is a top concern and priority for directors. The increase in flexible working patterns, which will continue beyond the pandemic, underlines the critical importance of cybersecurity. The practical support offered through the new Cyber Action Plan provides a framework for organizations to minimize the risks and recognize with confidence how and where their cybersecurity could be improved.”
NCSC’s New Vulnerability Reporting Toolkit
Earlier, the NCSC released a new “Vulnerability Reporting Toolkit,” which is intended to help organizations manage their vulnerability disclosure processes in a simplified manner. The Toolkit is helpful for all types of organizations that are planning to implement a vulnerability disclosure process in their system. Read more…
