The UK government is set to issue a grant of up to £7 million to pay for Cyber Essentials certification for small businesses that supply companies signed up to its Cyber Resilience Pledge, in a bid to shore up supply chain security.
The assistance has been offered as part of the government’s new initiative aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses under its Cyber Essentials certification program that seeks to help businesses deploy essential protections to safeguard against cyber threats and attacks.
Under the latest measure, the government will issue up to £7 million until March 2029. Around 8,000 businesses are estimated to benefit from the scheme.
The government assistance comes as the country continues to witness an uptick in cyberattacks. The UK National Cyber Security Centre on Tuesday said it received 1,831 incident reports this year, 337 of which needed its support, and 80 were classed as nationally significant.
The government cited estimates that a significant cyberattack could cost a business an average of £195,000.
“We are making it easier and cheaper to access expert cyber support, identify and plug vulnerabilities in their digital systems, and achieve certification through our Cyber Essentials scheme,” Cyber Security Minister Liz Lloyd said. “If you run a business, no matter the size, securing your digital systems must be a top priority and we’re equipping businesses for the evolving digital future.”
Additionally, the government will offer a 75% discount on new Cyber Essentials certification, meaning that small businesses can obtain the certification for as little as £80. The discount scheme runs until the end of March 2027, or until funding runs out. Over a dozen companies also joined the government’s voluntary secure software development commitments. These include Fortinet, Thales, Capgemini, SANS, Risk Ledger, Zscaler, among others.
“The scheme aims to encourage more software developers to build their products aligned to the code of practice – safeguarding their systems from common cyber threats,” the government said.
Heightened threat to the country
The assistance from the government comes as the country continues to anticipate heightened cybersecurity threats accelerated by developments in artificial intelligence capabilities.
The NCSC report warned that by 2028, China, Russia and other nation states are highly likely to routinely use AI to achieve their geopolitical goals, and AI-powered malware is highly likely to have been used in a ransomware attack on UK critical infrastructure.
“The future is not set,” NCSC CEO Richard Horne said. “The UK’s ability to withstand disruption – and to exploit the opportunities that AI promises – will be determined by the choices we make now, the speed with which we adapt, and our collective willingness to act.”
