WIREDGOV

New NCSC website aims to become the UK’s homepage for cyber security.

• NCSC launches new website on the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web’s creation
• Site aims to make important cyber security advice easily available to everybody in the UK
• Security central to every stage of design, but purposefully created as secure as necessary (rather than as secure as possible)

ADVICE on staying safe from cyber threats has never been so easy to find after the National Cyber Security Centre launched its redesigned website yesterday.

The NCSC, which is part of GCHQ, aims to help people of all cyber expertise through its new site, which was launched on the 30thanniversary of Tim Berners Lee’s creation of the World Wide Web.

Central to the re-design has been creating new sections designed around the specific needs of those using it, meaning users will spend less time looking for the guidance they need, and more time reading it.

Stuart T, the NCSC’s Digital Product Manager, yesterday said:

“We want our website to become the UK’s homepage for cyber security.

“Cyber risks pose a real threat to us all, and we have tailored a site to help all users, from FTSE 350 giants to family businesses – as well as individuals and families who want to know a bit more about how to secure their devices around the home.

“We’re aiming to create a community and are asking for feedback on the new site, so we can continually improve our offering and ensure our site is always user-centred. This is not the end of our improvements – it’s the beginning.”

The website was created after extensive user research, which has been used to develop concise guides tailored to each audience, multi-page articles for complex topics and an alert banner on the homepage with important advice and guidance during live cyber security incidents.

The NCSC remains committed to demystifying cyber jargon, and will continue to explore innovative ways to present content in a way that appeals to each audience.

While security and risk management were central to every stage of the website’s design, another key decision the NCSC made was to make it as secure as necessary, rather than as secure as possible.

Richard C, the NCSC’s Chief Security Architect, yesterday said:

“The National Cyber Security Centre has always said organisations should invest in an appropriate amount of security – and that’s what we’ve done with our new website.

“There is often a tendency amongst the cyber security community to set the bar as high as possible. We want to show that the vital thing is sensible risk management, so we’ve focused on making our user experience fantastic and our security good enough.

“When designing computer systems, we always tailor our approach to the system in question. Our website is intended to openly share content with the public so has quite different controls to systems that handle information we need to keep private.”

Notes to editors

• Read blogs from our Digital Product Manager Stuart T here.
• The UK Government is fully committed to defending against cyber threats and address the cyber skills gap to develop and grow talent. The NCSC was created as part of the five year National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) announced in 2016, supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment.
• The NCSC provides a single, central body for cyber security at a national level and is the UK’s technical authority on cyber. It manages national cyber security incidents, carries out real-time threat analysis and provides tailored sectoral advice.
• GCHQ is the parent body for the NCSC, meaning that it can draw on the organisation’s world-class skills and sensitive capabilities.