Vulnerability Notifications
Cyber Protect Officers now make contact with organisations who have been identified as having potential risks with their IT systems in the hope of preventing cyber criminals from exploiting these vulnerabilities.
The Cyber Protect Officer will not ask you for any information.
Our role is to explain the identified problem and signpost you to industry guidance to fix this.
How to verify an Officer’s Identity
If you are in any doubt of the officers identity, you should contact their police force to verify them. Use a reputable search engine to find the contact details of the police which are all listed at https://police.uk/forces/
- SEROCU via Thames Valley Police on 101 or +44 1865 841 148 from abroad
- Surrey Police on 101 or +44 1483 571 212 from abroad
- Sussex Police on 101 or +44 1273 470 101 from abroad
- Hampshire Police on 101 or +44 1962 841 534 from abroad
- Thames Valley Police on 101 or +44 1865 841 148 from abroad
Please ensure you select the correct police force from the menu if you are outside of the relevant force’s geographical area. The call handler will not know the content of the notification as it is sensitive information.. They can, however, verify the officer’s contact details. The Officer should have provided their:
- Pay / Warrant Number
- Mobile telephone number
- Email address
- Cyber Crime Unit for which they work
Genuine police email addresses end in:
- @serocu.pnn.police.uk or @serocu.police.uk
- @sussex.pnn.police.uk or @sussex.police.uk
- @surrey.pnn.police.uk or @surrey.police.uk
- @hampshire.pnn.police.uk or @hampshire.police.uk
- @thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk or @thamesvalley.police.uk
The Notification
The Officer WILL NOT REQUEST ANY INFORMATION FROM YOU
The Officer will provide you information verbally and by email. You should always ensure emails and attachments have been scanned by antivirus software before opening them. Most companies have systems that do this by default – but check if you are not sure. It is entirely up to you how you act on the information provided.
Cyber Protect Services
As part of the UK’s national Cyber Security Strategy, the Cyber Protect teams in your Force and Region can offer you a number of free services from the Police. For details of services in the South-East, please visit our Cyber Protect pages.