UK offers small businesses cheaper access to cyber security protection amid rising threats

'We are not going to sit back and let malicious actors take advantage -- we will back our SMEs and help them be protected and secure,' says minister

Thousands of micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses across the UK will benefit from a 75% discount on government-backed Cyber Essentials certification to help protect them against cyber threats, the government announced. Under the scheme, eligible businesses will pay as little as £80 ($108) and no more than £125, plus value-added tax, to obtain certification designed to help organizations defend against the most common online threats. The government said in a statement that the initiative aims to make cybersecurity support more accessible, as a significant cyberattack on a UK business or organization is estimated to cost an average of £195,000 ($261,539). Cybersecurity Minister Liz Lloyd said small and medium-sized businesses should not be left vulnerable to increasing cyber threats. "We are not going to sit back and let malicious actors take advantage -- we will back our SMEs and help them be protected and secure," she said. The government is also working with more than 230 companies that have signed the Cyber Resilience Pledge to strengthen security across their supply chains. Under the initiative, participating organizations can refer groups of small and medium-sized businesses to receive free Cyber Essentials certification. Selected businesses will also have access to free cybersecurity advisers to guide them through the process. Separately, 14 organizations have joined the UK's second cohort of Software Security Ambassadors, bringing together companies including Fortinet, Thales, Capgemini, SANS, Zscaler and QinetiQ. The organizations will work with the government to promote secure software development and encourage adoption of the Software Security Code of Practice across their supply chains. The announcement comes after suspected cyberattacks targeting refrigeration systems affected food businesses across eight European countries, causing food losses and prompting a criminal investigation in Belgium. On Monday, incidents were reported in Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark, while Finnish retailers were investigating whether overnight temperature irregularities were linked. The government said the measures form part of a wider effort to improve cyber resilience across the UK economy as artificial intelligence reshapes the cyber threat landscape.