# Cyber Essentials

> Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification scheme that sets out five basic technical controls, covering firewalls, secure configuration, security updates, user access control, and malware protection, to guard against common online attacks.

Also called: Cyber Essentials Plus, Cyber Essentials certification, UK Cyber Essentials scheme, NCSC Cyber Essentials.

The scheme is overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre and delivered through its partner IASME. There are two levels. For Cyber Essentials, an organization completes a self-assessment questionnaire that a certification body reviews. Cyber Essentials Plus covers the same controls but adds hands-on technical testing by an independent assessor. Certification lasts twelve months and must then be renewed.

The five controls address the most common, low-skill attacks, so the scheme is a practical baseline for a small organization. Certification is required for some UK government contracts, and some larger customers ask their suppliers for it. It gives customers and insurers a recognized signal that basic protections are in place, and preparing for it often exposes gaps nobody had noticed.

Certification covers a defined scope at a point in time; it does not make an organization immune to attack. The requirements are specific, including multi-factor authentication for cloud services and prompt installation of security updates, and unsupported software in scope will cause a failure. We implement the technical controls and help gather evidence, but certification is assessed and awarded only by a licensed certification body, not by us.

## Where we do this work

- [IT services in the UK](https://techpitsolutions.systems/uk)
- [Cybersecurity services](https://techpitsolutions.systems/services/cybersecurity)
- [Managed IT services](https://techpitsolutions.systems/msp)

## See also

- [Essential Eight](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/essential-eight): The Essential Eight is a set of eight baseline cybersecurity strategies published by the Australian Signals Directorate to help organizations protect internet-connected IT networks against common cyber threats.
- [Multi-factor authentication (MFA)](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/multi-factor-authentication): Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a sign-in method that requires two or more different kinds of proof, such as a password plus a code from a phone app or a physical security key, before it grants access to an account.
- [Patch management](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/patch-management): Patch management is the process of finding, testing, and installing software updates on computers, servers, and network devices so that known security flaws and bugs are fixed before they cause harm.
- [Firewall](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/firewall): A firewall is a device or piece of software that sits between networks, typically an office network and the internet, and allows or blocks traffic according to a set of rules.

---

Source: https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/cyber-essentials

TechPit Solutions · Run by AI, backed by real people. A remote team working with businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Email info.techpit.co@gmail.com, WhatsApp +92 344 3360585. Book a 15-minute call: https://techpitsolutions.systems/contact