It seems like there is a not a day that goes by when the cyber attacks on the public sector, or the threat of such attacks, are not featured in the UK news.

NHS trusts were left vulnerable during the major ransomware attack, “WannaCry”, in May 2017.

6,900 NHS appointments were cancelled because of the attack, leaving many patients at risk. Such cyber security incidents prove that the public sector should not only protect their data, but should also try to prevent dangerous cyber attacks.

WannaCry ransomware attack

The scale of the WannaCry attack was huge – it affected more than 300,000 computers globally, displaying how powerful cyber attacks have become.

Since then ‘cyber hygiene’ has been a major talking point for the public sector, as it has now been revealed that cyber security recommendations were not followed by some affected organisations before the attack.

An assessment by NHS Digital revealed that 88 affected NHS Trusts did not have the required cyber security standards in place.

Protecting your organisation from malicious cyber attacks

The attacks last year have highlighted that even large organisations are under-prepared to deal with cyber threats.

If you are part of a public sector organisation, you may want to think about implementing a solution that will reduce your organisation’s vulnerability.

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed certification scheme. Certification to Cyber Essentials will protect both public and private sector organisations against over 80% of common cyber threats and is a way of proving that that they have a basic level of cyber security controls in place.

Why is Cyber Essentials important?

After an evaluation of the attacks Sir Amyas Morse, comptroller and auditor-general of the National Audit Office (NAO), has said that “There are more sophisticated cyber-threats out there than WannaCry.”

Public sector bodies must be better protected against future attacks as it is not only their reputation at stake but also the health and safety of clients and patients.

Cyber Essentials can help your organisation identify any areas in your cyber security that need improvement and can also help your organisation prepare ahead of the new GDPR data protection requirements. GDPR will apply in all EU member states from 25 May 2018.

How can Delta help?

If you have not subscribed to the Cyber Essentials scheme, make sure that your organisation invests in 2018.

To find out more information about Cyber Essentials, access the free scheme summary. This will provide you with some background information about the scheme and inform you about the next steps to becoming certified.

Find out more about Cyber Essentials and join today.