Barclays has been named as the first major organisation to gain the new Government Cyber Essentials certification.
Certified for its Digital Banking services, including MyBarclays, BMB and Pingit, to demonstrate basic cyber hygiene and reach Cyber Essentials certification, Barclays Digital Banking had to complete the Cyber Essentials Questionnaire.
An external perimeter vulnerability scan was also carried out, which is an additional requirement for Cyber Essentials certification that is mandated by CREST.
The certification was developed by Government and industry to provide a clear statement of the basic controls all organisations should implement to mitigate the risk from common internet based threats, and offers a mechanism for organisations to demonstrate to customers, investors, insurers and others that they have taken these essential precautions. It is being backed by AIG, Marsh, Swiss Re, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) and the International Underwriting Association, and is available to universities, charities and the public sector.
Philip Sowter, mobile banking director at Barclays, said: “We identified this new Government scheme as an important part of our plans to help customers in the digital age transact completely safely and securely.
“We are pleased to be involved with the scheme and to have been recognised by the Cyber Essentials Certification. We are working with GDS towards the Cyber Essentials Plus certification.”
Ian Glover, President of CREST, said: “The Cyber Essentials scheme is unique because it has been developed as a collaboration between the UK government and the very best cyber security professionals in the UK.
“These professionals utilised their years of experience and invested their own time to extract the security standards that should be applied to all businesses, regardless of size. It is important that large consumer-facing organisations like Barclays embrace the scheme and I congratulate them on their early certification.”
