Cyber FAQs

Some answers to questions you may have about cyber security and our services.

What are the simplest and most important steps to take to protect against cyber crime?

Make sure you’re taking the following steps at work as a minimum:

Using strong, separate passwords for email accounts
Installing the latest software and app updates
Where available, use two-factor authentication on your accounts
Back up your most important data and store securely (air-gap)
Don’t automatically click on links or attachments
Take extra care with requests for personal and financial information
Avoid using public Wi-Fi when working with sensitive information
Install a reputable anti-malware solution

For further details visit the National Cyber Security Centre

How do I report or provide information about cyber crime to the police?

Report cyber crime to Action Fraud.

Provide information anonymously through CrimeStoppers.

How do I start gaining cyber security accreditation for my organisation, or check accreditation of a third party?

Consider working towards an accreditation such as Cyber Essentials to provide assurance to your customers and partners. You can also search companies that hold Cyber Essentials certification.

How do I start incident response planning to reduce the impact of cyber crime on my organisation?

Plan in advance for cyber incidents, and regularly test existing plans. Use the NCSCs’ “Exercise In A Box” to assist you.

Where can I find intelligence about cyber threats to inform my organisation, or share information that might help other victims?

You can find information on the latest cyber threats by regularly visiting the NCSC’s:

You can also follow our dedicated social media channels on

IT and Information Security professionals from larger organisations can apply to join the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP) hosted by the NCSC. To seek a sponsor for membership, contact your Local ROCU.

What advice should be provided to individuals?

Users should work through suggestions on our Advice for Individuals page, both at work and at home.

Where can I get a copy of your presentation?

Our presentations are updated regularly, with each Protect officer adding their own individual style to deliver content covering the principles laid down by the NCSC. You can contact us direct to obtain a basic template of one of our presentations to assist you with developing your own internal awareness programmes.

Where can I find videos with a cyber awareness theme?

You can find a large range of Cyber Awareness videos on our YouTube channel.

For a quick burst of inspiration, visit our Cyber Awareness Picks Playlist.

What should I consider when backing up data?

Identify what you need to back up
Consider what data is critical and needs to be restored faster
Make sure the back up is separated from the original copy (airgapped)
Consider the Cloud as a backup option
Make backups part of your day to day business

Further detail can be found within the NCSC Back Up Guidance.

How do I protect my business against malware (e.g. ransomware)?

Keep devices (operating systems) and software up to date
Protect devices with anti-malware product and scan regularly
Protect mobile devices – use official app stores
Keep safe back ups of important files

Further detail can be found within the NCSC Mitigating Malware Guidance.

What do I do if my business suffers a malware infection?

Disconnect infected devices from your network
Turn off Wi-Fi and unplug any network (ethernet) cables
Safely format and replace disk drives and reinstall the OS
Connect to a clean network to safely download, install and update the OS and all other software
Install, update and run anti-virus product
Reconnect to your network
Monitor network traffic and run anti-virus scans to identify any residual infection

Further detail can be found within the NCSC Mitigating Malware Guidance.

Free decryption tools for some ransomware variants can be found on the No More Ransom website.

Victims of significant cyber incidents could consider employing the services of a company that has achieved certification from the NCSC in Cyber Incident Response (CIR) – see the list of Cyber Incident Response Certified companies.

How can I protect my organisation against phishing?

Adopt a multi-layered defence as follows:

Make it difficult for attackers to reach your users
Help users identify and report suspected phishing communications
Protect your organisation from the effects of undetected phishing communications
Respond quickly once an incident is detected

Further detail can be found within the NCSC Defending against Phishing Guidance.

How can we generate constructive discussions about cyber security at a strategic level within my organisation?

Consider starting with the following questions, which can lead into more detailed discussions on hard and soft defences (e.g. technologies and policies):

How do we defend our organisation against phishing attacks?
How does our organisation control the use of privileged IT accounts?
How do we ensure that our software and devices are up to date?
How do we make sure our partners and suppliers protect the data we share with them?
What authentication methods are used to control access to systems and data?

Further detail can be found within the NCSC Board Toolkit Guidance.

How can my organisation establish effective control and oversight of the supply chain?

Follow the 12 principles proposed in the NCSC Supply Chain Security Guidance.

How can my organisation protect against, and respond to, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks?

The five principles of defending against DoS attacks are as follows:

Understanding your service
Upstream defences
Scaling
Response Plan
Testing and Monitoring

A minimal DoS Response plan might start with the following:

Confirming that you are under attack
Understanding the nature of the attack
Deploying mitigations that can quickly be put in place
Monitoring the attack and recovery

Further detail on these DoS defence and response principles can be found in the NCSC DoS Guidance.

How can I protect my email and other online accounts?

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA)
Use a unique, strong password for email accounts
Be wary of links within emails that direct you to a login page
Check your email accounts for unusual rules that you didn’t set up

Further detail can be found in this LinkedIn article.

Instructions on how to set up MFA (2FA) on a number of popular services can be found on the TurnOn2FA website.

Password guidance can be found in this NCSC #thinkrandom article.

South East Regional Organised Crime Unit