Businesses across the UK are being urged to improve their online security capabilities following Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is calling on organisations to follow its guidance on steps to take when the national cyber threat is heightened.

While the NCSC and the government are not aware of any current specific threats to UK organisations in relation to the Ukraine crisis, there has been an historical pattern of cyber attacks on Ukraine with international consequences.

Guidance from the NCSC encourages organisations to follow actionable steps that reduce the risk of falling victim to a digital attack, such as a malware or ransomware strike.

Hannah Schofield, Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The NCSC publishes weekly threat reports – if organisations in Lincolnshire have their IT provided externally it’s likely that these businesses will already be looking into this, but if they do their own IT then it’s wise to keep up with the NCSC website.

“It’s all good practice. Cyber isn’t just an IT problem, it’s a business continuity problem and should be in all business plans to help mitigate future risks.”

The NCSC website explains how to ensure basic cyber controls are in place and functioning correctly. This can include:

  • Check your system patching
  • Verify access controls
  • Ensure defences are working
  • Logging and monitoring
  • Review backups
  • Incident planning
  • Check your internet footprint
  • Phishing response
  • Third party access
  • Brief your wider organisation

For further guidance, visit the following websites:

National Cyber Security Centre 

Cyber security advice for SMEs - NCSC

NCSC staff training in cyber security