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Delivering
for Scotland

Cyber security

The UK Government is making the UK one of the safest places to be online.  Find out about the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, and get some simple tips to improve your cyber security.

Cyber security tips for homes and small businesses

We’re spending more time online than ever and so are cyber criminals.  Cyber security is as important as physical security and anyone can be a target of cyber criminals.

The Cyber Action Plan is a tool from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) that will help business owners access cyber security guidance that’s relevant to them.

After responding to questions on your current IT practices, you will receive tailored advice on how to improve your cyber security, based on the responses given.

Use the Cyber Action Plan tool - external link

Cyber Aware also promotes six practical steps.  Together, they help protect you from the majority of online crime.  They help keep you secure by protecting your passwords, your accounts and your devices, and you don’t have to be an IT expert to action them.

By following this advice, it will be harder for criminals to access your information:

  1. Create a separate password for your email account – your inbox contains lots of sensitive information. It’s the gateway to all your online accounts so keep it safe with a strong password that is different to all your others.
  2. Create a strong password using three random words – the longer your password, the harder it is to hack. Long passwords can be difficult to remember. But using three random words will help you create passwords that are both long and strong. Start with your most important accounts, like email.
  3. Save your passwords in your browser – remembering lots of passwords can be difficult, but if you save them in your browser you don’t have to and it’s safer than re-using the same password for all your accounts.
  4. Turn on two-factor authentication – this free security feature adds an extra layer of protection online and stops cyber criminals getting into your accounts, even if they have your password.
  5. Update your devices – using the latest software, apps and operating system can fix bugs and immediately improve your security.
  6. Backup – backing up means you always have a copy of your important data in the event it’s lost or stolen. Make sure these backups are recent and can be restored

The NCSC

The UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) supports the most critical organisations in the UK, the wider public sector, industry, SMEs as well as the general public. 

More specifically, the NCSC:

  • understands cyber security, and distils this knowledge into practical guidance
  • responds to cyber security incidents to reduce the harm they cause to organisations and the wider UK
  • uses industry and academic expertise to nurture the UK’s cyber security capability
  • reduces risks to the UK by securing public and private sector networks

They offer tailored information and advice for:

More Information

Education and skills for 11-19 year olds (CyberFirst).

Higher education and professional skills & training.

NCSC weekly cyber threat reports.

Find out more about defence and security in Scotland.