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Cyber Essentials

What is Cyber Essentials?

A UK government-backed certification scheme that helps organisations protect against the most common cyber threats. Cyber Essentials covers five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management.

Compliance

Frameworks that govern cyber essentials

ISO 27001:2022View framework →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5View framework →CIS Controls v8View framework →

What the standards actually require on cyber essentials

Requirements naming cyber essentials across 2 standards, quoted from the control text.

UK Defence Standard 05-138 - Cyber Security for Defence Suppliers2 controls

L1 requires the supplier to hold Cyber Essentials certification and apply the controls specified in Def Stan 05-138 Annex A at the L1 level.

DEFSTAN-L1 · Risk Profile L1 Very Low →
UK ONR Cyber Security and Information Assurance (CSIA) for Nuclear Facilities1 control

Third-party suppliers are assessed remotely, by inspection and audit, or both, with sample checks where questionnaires are relied on; ONR interventions are sampling and do not replace the dutyholder's own due diligence.

uk-onr-cyber-security-and-information-assurance-csia-for-nuclear-facilities::7.2-TPA · CS&IA assessment of third-party suppliers →

Questions people ask about cyber essentials

What is Cyber Essentials?
A UK government-backed certification scheme that helps organisations protect against the most common cyber threats. Cyber Essentials covers five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management.
Why is Cyber Essentials important for compliance?
Cyber Essentials is a key concept in Compliance. Understanding cyber essentials helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials appears in the requirement text of UK Defence Standard 05-138 - Cyber Security for Defence Suppliers, UK ONR Cyber Security and Information Assurance (CSIA) for Nuclear Facilities. Across these standards we have identified 3 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Cyber Essentials?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how cyber essentials applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 1,016 frameworks.

See how Cyber Essentials applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

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Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.