Small and medium-sized businesses in the UK can now get a 75% discount on Cyber Essentials certification, paying as little as £80 and no more than £125 plus VAT, under a scheme backed by £2.4 million of government funding available on a first-come, first-served basis until March 2027 or until funds run out. The government estimates around 6,000 businesses could benefit.

SME suppliers linked to organisations that have signed the Cyber Resilience Pledge can receive fully funded certification at no cost, under a separate £7 million grant running until March 2029, with around 8,000 businesses expected to benefit. More than 230 organisations have signed the Pledge so far.

Cyber Security Minister Baroness Lloyd made the announcement at the National Cyber Security Centre's Annual Review. The government estimates a significant cyber attack on a UK business costs on average £195,000, though it notes that figure is based primarily on US data and should be treated as indicative.

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