The new tools – Cyber Action Plan and Check your Cyber Security – have been launched in conjunction with the organisation’s Cyber Aware Campaign.
Cybersecurity experts at National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have launched two new flagship services designed to help millions of UK small businesses stay secure online and protect their livelihoods.
The NCSC – a part of the GCHQ – unveiled the services to coincide with the latest phase of its Cyber Aware campaign, which aims to raise awareness of cybersecurity among the country’s small businesses, microbusinesses, and organisations and sole traders.
With official statistics showing that more than a third of small businesses suffered a cyber-attack just last year, the NCSC urged them to make use of its Cyber Action Plan and Check Your Cyber Security tools.
Martin McTague, National Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said: “A fifth of small businesses see cybercrime as the most impactful crime in terms of both cost and disruption to their operations.
“Equipping small firms with the right tools and tailor-made guidance could enable them to be more cyber resilient and in turn reduce costs in real life.”
The Cyber Action Plan can be completed online in under five minutes, resulting in tailored advice for businesses on how they can better improve their cyber security.
Check your Cyber Security – which is accessible via the Action Plan – can be used by any small organisation including schools and charities, and enables non-tech users to identify and fix cyber security issues within their businesses.
Small businesses are a common target for cyber criminals – the Government’s last Cyber Breaches Survey revealed that 38% of the UK’s small businesses suffered a cyber incident over a 12-month period.
The range of attacks can vary widely, from business email compromise to denial of service and ransomware attacks.
Lindy Cameron, NCSC CEO said: “Small businesses are the backbone of the UK, but we know that cyber criminals continue to view them as targets.
“That’s why the NCSC has created the Cyber Action Plan and Check Your Cyber Security to help them boost their online defences in a matter of minutes.
“I strongly encourage all small businesses to use these tools today to keep the cyber criminals out and their operations on track.”
Both the new tools are among the services within the NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence programme, which help to protect the UK from millions of cyber attacks each year.
Further, the NCSC has its own Small Business Guide, providing a wide range of products, services, and guidance to SMEs.
Source: DIGIT