Businesses and other organisations have been urged to boost their defences as The National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Essentials programme celebrates its tenth year.

The NCSC’s Cyber Essentials scheme protects against the most common cyber attacks and appetite for certification continues to grow, with over 40,000 certifications issued in the past 12 months.

Marking the event, alongside the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the National Cyber Security Centre teamed up with the UK’s leading banks – Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander UK, and TSB – to issue a joint statement encouraging businesses to strengthen their cyber defences and adopt the Cyber Essentials scheme across their supply chains.

Alongside the agreement, new research into the impact of Cyber Essentials was published, which found that certified organisations are more protected against cyber threat, more cyber risk aware, more compelled to improve their cyber resilience further, and encouraged to cultivate more cyber secure supply chains.

“As the cyber threat landscape evolves, attackers continue to exploit the same vulnerabilities which they targeted back in 2014, when the Cyber Essentials scheme was first launched,” NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, Chris Ensor said. “That’s why I strongly urge all organisations to make Cyber Essentials a foundational part of their cyber resilience.

“The data is clear, implementing the five controls significantly lowers the risk of experiencing a cyber incident. For organisations lacking the necessary in-house expertise, support is readily available through companies offering the NCSC-recognised Cyber Advisor Service.”

Cyber security Minister Feryal Clark spoke at the 10-year anniversary event for the Cyber Essentials scheme hosted at the House of Lords. The Minister’s speech can be read in full on GOV.UK.

To read more NCSC news, click here.