The Small Business Cyber Security Guy | Cybersecurity for SMB & Startups

Cyber Essentials - White House Security Principles for UK Small Business

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Part 2 of White House CIO Insights Series | ~38 minutes

How do you implement White House-level security without White House-level budgets? Building on insights from former White House CIO Theresa Payton's interview with Scammer Payback, Noel and Mauven explore the UK's Cyber Essentials framework - translating enterprise security principles into achievable small business requirements.

The Five Cyber Essentials Controls:

  1. Boundary Firewalls - Your digital perimeter defense
  • Secure Configuration - Closing manufacturer security gaps
  • Access Control & MFA - 90% credential attack prevention
  • Malware Protection - Beyond traditional antivirus
  • Security Update Management - Systematic patching


    • Key Takeaways:

    • Real implementation costs (£300+VAT basic certification, 2-4 weeks setup)
  • Business benefits: insurance discounts, government contracts, supply chain compliance
  • Why CE stops 80% of attacks targeting 80% of small businesses
  • When you need more than basic frameworks


    • Featured Content:

    Audio clips from Theresa Payton interview courtesy of Scammer Payback Podcast

    • Building safety standards for cybersecurity
  • MFA stopping 90% of credential attacks
  • Systematic security thinking


    • Highly recommend the full Theresa Payton interview on Scammer Payback - covers nation-state threats, manipulation campaigns, deepfakes, and digital privacy. Essential cybersecurity listening.

    Take Action This Week:

    1. Start Cyber Essentials self-assessment
  • Enable multi-factor authentication everywhere
  • Audit your third-party vendor list


    • Resources:

    • NCSC Cyber Essentials Scheme: ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials
  • Self-Assessment Portal: cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk
  • Scammer Payback Podcast Subscribe
  • "Manipulated" by Theresa Payton - Buy


    • Next Episode: Advanced Threats & AI

    The final White House CIO series episode tackles threats that challenge enterprise security teams: AI-powered attacks, executive-fooling deepfakes, and psychological social engineering.


    Subscribe & Review | Share with business owners who think cybersecurity requires unlimited budgets |

    Special thanks to Daniel and Scammer Payback team

    From White House situation rooms to your actual situation.

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    The Small Business Cyber Security Guy | Cybersecurity for SMB & StartupsBy The Small Business Cyber Security Guy