Cyber Essentials Plus is an independent technical assessment that verifies your security controls are working in practice.
Cyber Essentials Plus builds on the Cyber Essentials certification by confirming that your security controls are working in practice.
Independent Assessment
Security controls are tested rather than simply declared.
Higher Level Certification
Provides stronger assurance than Cyber Essentials alone.
Trusted Across Industries
Recognised by government and supply chains.
What Is Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus verifies that the security controls declared in your Cyber Essentials certification are actually functioning across your systems.
Testing is carried out by an assessor who reviews devices, networks, and security controls to ensure they meet the requirements of the scheme.
Because the certification includes technical verification, it provides a higher level of assurance that security protections are working as intended.
Cyber Essentials Plus demonstrates that your organisation’s security controls have been independently tested.
For many organisations, this provides stronger reassurance to customers, partners, and stakeholders that cyber security protections are properly implemented.
Independent Security Testing
Verification confirms that security controls are working correctly.
Stronger Client Assurance
Demonstrate that your cyber security protections have been independently tested.
What The Verification Covers
Cyber Essentials Plus Assessment
Cyber Essentials Plus involves several technical checks designed to confirm that security controls are functioning correctly across your systems.
External Vulnerability Testing
Testing internet-facing systems for vulnerabilities.
Based on your Cyber Essentials submission, a sample of systems and devices is selected for testing. We agree a date and confirm the assessment scope.
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Technical Assessment
On the assessment day, security controls are tested across the selected systems to confirm they are implemented correctly.
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Certification Outcome
If the assessment is successful, Cyber Essentials Plus certification is awarded.
Ready for Cyber Essentials Plus?
Send us your enquiry and we'll be in touch with you to discuss how we can help.
FAQs
Cyber Essentials is based on a self-assessment questionnaire, while Cyber Essentials Plus includes independent technical testing to verify that the required security controls are implemented correctly.
Yes. Organisations must achieve Cyber Essentials certification before they can proceed with Cyber Essentials Plus verification.
The verification process includes technical checks such as vulnerability scanning, device testing, and confirming that security controls like malware protection and patch management are functioning correctly.
Testing is designed to minimise disruption. The assessment is planned carefully and most testing can be performed remotely without affecting normal operations.
If vulnerabilities or configuration issues are identified, organisations are typically given time to resolve them before the verification is repeated.
The timeline depends on system readiness and scheduling of the verification testing. Many organisations complete the process within a few weeks of achieving Cyber Essentials certification.
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