Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification that proves your business meets baseline cybersecurity standards. This guide explains how certification works, how it affects your insurance, and when it’s worth pursuing.
Cyber Essentials certification is a UK government-backed scheme that sets a baseline for cybersecurity. It focuses on protecting businesses from the most common threats, such as phishing, malware, and unauthorised access. To pass, a business must demonstrate that it has key controls in place, including secure firewalls, up-to-date software, robust access management, and multi-factor authentication.
Certification comes in two levels. Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment, verified by an independent body. Cyber Essentials Plus goes further, requiring an external audit and technical testing of your systems. Both demonstrate to clients, partners, and insurers that your business is taking credible steps to reduce cyber risk.
Beyond compliance, Cyber Essentials is often a contractual requirement. Many public sector tenders mandate certification, and insurers may offer better terms if you hold it. For SMEs, it offers a practical and affordable way to demonstrate good security hygiene without requiring a complex management system.
Cyber Essentials is more than a badge. It’s a recognised signal that your business can handle data responsibly, defend against everyday attacks, and recover trust with customers and regulators in the event of incidents.
Cyber Essentials is designed to prove that your business has the core security controls in place to stop the most common cyber threats. The certification process is straightforward yet structured, following a clear framework.
The scheme focuses on five key technical controls:
To achieve certification, businesses complete a self-assessment questionnaire. This covers each of the five areas in detail and asks for evidence that the required controls are in place.
An accredited certification body, authorised by IASME, then reviews your submission. They check your answers for accuracy and consistency before issuing the certificate. If gaps are identified, you may be required to address them before certification is awarded.
The process is designed to be accessible for SMEs while still offering meaningful assurance to clients, insurers, and regulators. Cyber Essentials certificates are valid for 12 months, after which you must re-certify to prove your controls remain effective and up to date.
Cyber Essentials outlines the minimum security measures that every UK business should have in place. It focuses on preventing the most common attacks that exploit basic weaknesses, the kind that cause the majority of breaches.
The scheme is overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and certification is delivered through IASME-accredited bodies.
The UK government launched the scheme and is now overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Certification is managed by IASME, which works with a network of accredited certification bodies. This ensures that assessments are consistent and trusted. The NCSC provides ongoing guidance and updates to keep the scheme relevant as threats evolve.
Cyber Essentials is designed to block the majority of low-skill, high-volume attacks. It does not defend against highly targeted, sophisticated campaigns, but it sets a strong baseline. The certification covers five technical control areas:
Together, these controls tackle common risks such as phishing, malware infections, and opportunistic attempts to breach weak systems.
Certification proves your business meets a recognised UK baseline for cybersecurity. For many SMEs, it is the first step in building a security culture. It also brings practical benefits: insurers may view you as lower risk, public sector contracts often require it, and clients gain confidence that you can handle their data safely.
Cyber Essentials comes in two levels. Both prove that your business meets a recognised baseline of security, but they differ in how the controls are assessed and the level of assurance they provide.
The entry-level certification is self-assessed. Your business completes an online questionnaire that covers the five control areas:
Firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management.
An assessor reviews your answers, but they rely on the information you provide. There is no hands-on testing. This makes Cyber Essentials more affordable and quicker to achieve, typically costing a few hundred pounds, depending on the certifying body.
For SMEs, this level often provides a fast way to demonstrate compliance to insurers, supply chain partners, or clients. However, because it is based on self-assessment, the level of assurance is limited.
Cyber Essentials Plus includes everything in the standard certification but adds an independent technical audit. An accredited body carries out hands-on testing of your systems, often including:
This level of testing provides much stronger evidence that your systems genuinely meet the standard, not just that policies exist on paper. It costs more, typically ranging from £1,500 to £3,000, depending on business size and complexity, but it carries more weight with regulators, clients, and insurers.
For many SMEs, Cyber Essentials is a practical first step that covers basic requirements and meets government contract conditions. But for regulated sectors, firms handling sensitive data, or businesses seeking to build stronger client confidence, Cyber Essentials Plus offers genuine assurance.
Insurers may also view Plus as a sign of lower risk, which can result in reduced premiums or expanded coverage options.
To meet the minimum requirements, Cyber Essentials is sufficient. If you want credibility that stands up under scrutiny, Cyber Essentials Plus is the safer choice.
Yes. Holding Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus can improve how insurers assess your risk. It can lead to lower premiums, faster applications, and better policy terms.
1. Lower premiums and smoother applications: Certification shows you meet baseline cybersecurity controls. Many insurers reward this with reduced premiums, often in the range of 5% to 20%, or by simplifying the underwriting process.
2. Broader eligibility: Some insurers will not cover businesses without basic security measures in place. Certification proves you have these controls, increasing your access to more policies.
3. Faster claims support: Certified businesses usually have stronger response plans. This can shorten the time it takes to process and pay a cyber insurance claim.
4. Access to better terms: Cyber Essentials Plus, which includes an independent audit, can open the door to higher cover limits, lower excesses, or added protections such as social engineering cover.
CyberSure insight: Certification is not mandatory, but it shifts the odds in your favour. It lowers risk in the insurer’s eyes, and that makes cover fairer, faster, and sometimes cheaper.
No. Cyber Essentials is not a legal or contractual requirement for most cyber insurance policies, and plenty of insurers will still offer cover without it.
However, having certification can make it easier to get approved, reduce the number of security questions you need to answer, and improve your policy terms. Some insurers give discounts or enhanced cover to certified businesses.
Cyber Essentials is more than an insurance talking point. It improves your security posture, builds client confidence, and can open new opportunities. Here are the clear benefits to your business you need to consider: