Today, the UK faces substantial risks from increasing and more sophisticated cyber-attacks.
To combat this, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) introduced the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF), which plays a crucial role for both public sector entities and organizations involved in supporting Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
The Cyber Assessment Framework provides a systematic method for evaluating an organization’s cybersecurity practices, helping to identify and address areas for improvement.
It is especially relevant for organizations covered by the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, which mandate the adoption of appropriate cybersecurity measures.
Additionally, the framework serves as a valuable resource for sectors that manage risks to public safety, such as healthcare and transport. By adhering to NCSC guidelines, organizations can strengthen their defenses against cyber threats and better protect the critical services they offer.
Similar frameworks such as NIST and MITRE ATT&CK, the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework is specifically tailored to meet the needs of UK-based organizations.
It plays a critical role in not only avoiding cyber threats but also maintaining a resilient security stance aligned with the UK government’s cybersecurity policies.
The Cyber Assessment Framework is built upon four factors: Objectives, Principles, Contributing Outcomes, and Indicators of Good Practice (IGP).
- Objectives: Refer to the key goals or priorities in cybersecurity
- Principles: Overarching governances that facilitate compliance
- Contributing Outcomes: Specific requirements needed to meet each principle, which can be assessed as Achieved, Not Achieved, or Partially Achieved
- Indicators of Good Practice (IGP): Recommended practices to help achieve these contributing outcomes
The Need for a Consistent and Effective Approach
The NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework was developed to address the increasing demand for a consistent and effective method of managing cybersecurity risks in the public sector.
It aligns with the UK Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022-2030, which aims to help UK organizations better understand their cybersecurity status and protect critical services from evolving cyber threats.
With the growing demand for strong cybersecurity measures, organizations
are increasingly turning to proactive offensive security solutions to
protect themselves from advanced threats that surpass conventional detection
and response methods.
In other words, balancing offensive security to help prevent a breach before it occurs versus only utilizing defensive security solutions like EDR and MDR, which primarily focus on defense and incident response after an attack occurs.
Providing Some Perspective
As part of the EU Cybersecurity Strategy, the European Commission introduced the NIS Directive in 2016, and the NCSC responded with the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) in 2018.
While the UK is no longer in the EU, NIS regulations still support cross-border cooperation and alignment with the NCSC. Though the framework isn't mandatory for all, Operators of Essential Services and Relevant Digital Service Providers must comply.
In 2024, half of UK businesses and a third of charities reported cyberattacks, highlighting the need for organizations to adopt the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework for stronger protection.
Understanding of Your Risk Landscape
To achieve compliance, organizations should start by identifying and addressing gaps in their current security practices, especially if you want to comply with standards like NIS2 Directive or ISO 27001.
These frameworks offer a solid foundation, as they overlap in areas like risk management and incident response. However, compliance with the Cyber Assessment Framework requires more than box-ticking—it demands a deep understanding of your risk landscape and detailed evidence of how you meet the 39 contributing outcomes, measured by Indicators of Good Practice (IGPs) across 14 principles and the following four security objectives:
- Objective A: Managing Security Risk
Involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks based on the CIA triad – confidentiality, integrity, and availability.Organisations are recommended to conduct regular risk assessments, manage vulnerabilities and to perform continuous security testing. Penetration testing services such as human-delivered or on-demand pentesting is available across you full technology stack.
- Objective B: Protecting Against Cyber Attacks
Focuses on implementing robust technical and procedural measurements against cyber threats, including implementing firewalls, antivirus software, and staff training on phishing techniques used by attackers.Social engineering training is also important, as human error is the major cause of breaches that could have been avoided.
- Objective C: Detecting Cyber Security Events
Ensures that an organization can identify and respond to cyber incidents quickly.This involves deploying intrusion detection systems and implementing logging mechanisms that ca track and alert security terms to any anomalies or unusual behaviors in the network.
- Objective D: Minimizing the Impact of Cyber Security Incidents
Ensures that cyber-attacks are contained, and recovery happens swiftly through practice incident response plans, disaster recovery protocols, and regular testing like red teaming. This minimizes downtime, maintains customer trust, and avoids non-compliance or unnecessary costly fines.
Conclusion
A strong cybersecurity posture and cyber resiliency requires an integrated approach where security and business principles align, and solutions meet multiple needs. Trusted offensive security partners help the public sector and critical infrastructure proactively protect against advanced threats.
Compliance with the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) in the UK has proven effective by providing a structured method to enhance cybersecurity practices and the flexibility for organizations to adapt to new challenges, making it a vital tool for long-term security.
