The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 reported that 50% of businesses and 32% of charities experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. Most common cyber threats are relatively unsophisticated, and with the right knowledge and protective measures, SMEs can massively reduce their chances of becoming a victim. For a small retail business, considering pursuing a Cyber Essentials certification is a low-cost option that can help you defend against the most common cyber threats.

The retail industry is becoming increasingly digitized, bringing benefits such as improved customer experiences, streamlined processes and further sales. Whilst this increases business productivity, it also elevates vulnerability to cyber threats. As more sensitive data is stored online, cybersecurity should be considered as an urgent priority for all small businesses, ensuring the safety and privacy of customer information, and preserving the business’s reputation. Seeking a Cyber Essentials certification is a straightforward way to do this.

What is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is an effective, government-backed scheme, which supports businesses in putting measures in place to protect their organisation from the threat of cyber criminals. These measures help defend against the most common cyber threats, such as malware, ransomware, and phishing, and ensure that you understand the fundamental practices of good cyber hygiene. The result of this is a certification that leaves yourself, your employees, and your customers assured; you can feel safe in the knowledge that you have considered the current cybersecurity position of your business, identified any existing vulnerabilities, and worked proactively to solve any issues. Whilst the Cyber Essentials certification does come at a small cost to your business, it is very affordable, and a fractional investment in comparison to the potential costs of a cyber-attack.

Cyber Essentials has two tiers of certification, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. Cyber Essentials at is most basic level offers a self-assessment option, where you are given important knowledge about how to operate a business with good cyber hygiene and shown a list of basic technical controls you must implement. Cyber Essentials Plus has the same simple approach to cybersecurity, but a hands-on technical verification is conducted.

Choosing to become accredited in this scheme removes the pressure of trying to cover all bases without support when it comes to cybersecurity. This is ideal for a small business, because the requirements of Cyber Essentials are clearly outlined for you to follow as a checklist. The accreditation ensures that you are aware of the current threats that towards businesses and gives you knowledge to help you spot them if they make it through your cyber defences. Ultimately, it is an affordable option for small businesses to help them be as safe as possible in terms of their cybersecurity and arm them with the information they need to stay safe online and be able to spot any potential threats.

If you decide to go through with becoming Cyber Essentials certified, the ECRC have several Cyber Essentials Partners, who are local companies that can facilitate the accreditation for you. However, there are companies all over the UK that can do this for you, and there is no obligation to choose one of our partners.

What else can the ECRC do for me?

Becoming a free member of the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre is a great first step for anybody wishing to improve their cybersecurity and bolster their knowledge. As part of our free membership, members receive regular communications from us, giving you steps to improve your cyber resilience, delivered in a digestible manner in a way that is accessible to a non-technical audience. For those looking to become Cyber Essentials certified in the future, following the steps in our emails will leave you compliant with much of the criteria. Becoming a free member allows you to improve your cybersecurity incrementally, which is an ideal choice for businesses working to busy schedules and juggling various priorities.

Additionally, the ECRC also offers a handful of affordable cyber services, delivered by university students working for the CyberPATH programme. Including options such as Security Awareness Training and Vulnerability Assessments, these services are designed to help you assess, build and manage your online networks. These services can help those who feel unaware of their potential vulnerabilities and assist with developing the right strategies to respond to potential incidents in the future- without breaking the bank.

The ECRC’s affordable services are made possible through CyberPATH, a scheme in which local students are trained and monitored by senior ethical hackers. Providing services in this way reduces the cost to the user, making them more accessible for SMEs, and concurrently supporting the cyber talent pipeline by giving students valuable industry experience. You can find out more information about our affordable services here.

Furthermore, there are a plethora of resources on our website, which exist to help individuals and organisations improve their cyber security. For example, ‘Exercise in a Box’ was created by the NCSC, as a preparation tool for businesses, and can assist businesses in formulating a cyber incident response plan. This cyber-attack simulation enables organisations to find out how resilient they are to attacks, and pilots their response to various threat scenarios in a secure environment. The NCSC has many other free resources and frameworks such as their ‘Cyber Action Plan’ and ‘Small Business Guide,’ all of which deliver up-to-date, accessible guidance on staying safe and informed against cyber-crime.

Ultimately, the retail sector continues to be targeted by cybercriminals for money and data. For SMEs, it is more important than ever to be aware of the threats you face and know that the ECRC exists to support your organisation in becoming resilient to this risk. Cyber Essentials is just one of many tools that can be used and provides you with a thorough list of the simple things you can do to reduce your chance of becoming the next victim. If you are undecided on pursuing a certification, becoming a free member of the ECRC is the simplest way to start learning about cybersecurity, and will signpost you towards the relevant information and resources you need.

If you are unsure, or simply want to know more about cyber resilience and what we do at the ECRC, please book a chat with us today!

Reporting a live cyber-attack 24/7:

If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress) please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Reporting a cyber-attack which is not ongoing:

Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.

Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050)