What is Cyber Essentials? — UK Software Development Guide
Direct Answer
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed cybersecurity certification scheme developed by NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre). Certification requires demonstrating that five technical controls are in place: (1) Firewalls, (2) Secure Configuration, (3) User Access Control, (4) Malware Protection, and (5) Patch Management. Cyber Essentials Basic uses self-assessment; Cyber Essentials Plus includes external technical verification.
Cyber Essentials in the UK
Cyber Essentials is mandatory for any UK business bidding for central government contracts that involve handling personal or sensitive information. It is also required by many NHS organisations, local authorities, and large enterprises as a supplier security baseline. For UK software developers, Cyber Essentials means: patching dependencies within 14 days, using cloud security groups as firewalls, implementing RBAC, and scanning container images for malware in CI/CD pipelines.
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Get Expert Advice on Cyber Essentials
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