Facilitated and constructed in partnership with ADS Special Interest Group, the Digital Information and Systems Integrity Group (DISIG), the toolkit aims to equip the ADS supply chain to cater and respond to the increasing cyber security threats that confront us today.

The ADS Cyber Security Toolkit was formally launched yesterday during an online briefing event hosted for ADS by Richard Quinlan, Head of Sales and Business Development, Cyber Security Division UK, Leonardo and Chair of the DISIG. Guest speakers included Dr Deborah Petterson, Deputy Director for Private Sector Critical National Infrastructure, National Cyber Security Centre; Michael Clayforth-Carr, Vice President Security, ADS; Jon Gray, Director – Security & Resilience, ADS and Steve Borwell-Fox, Managing Director, borwell.

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Speaking at the event, Dr Deborah Petterson, Deputy Director for Private Sector Critical National Infrastructure, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said: “Cyber threats present a fundamental risk to our national security and prosperity, and as the UK’s national technical authority, we work with our industry partners to improve the overall cyber security posture, but also the resilience of the UK critical infrastructure.

“I’d like to thank ADS for producing this Cyber Security Toolkit. It sets out clear steps for businesses to take to improve their cyber resilience; the key recommendations outlined in the toolkit form an effective way to protect against the majority of threats we face.”

Michael Clayforth-Carr, Vice President – Security and Resilience, ADS, said: “At ADS we recognise our members represent companies from large Primes to innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. It is therefore important that, whether you are leading a supply chain, a lower tier of that supply chain or, for example, doing business with international partners, you are able to demonstrate and have confidence in how your partners are protecting themselves and their data and information. It is critical for a business to be able to demonstrate that they are responsible and reliable, with robust cyber security processes in place that demonstrate that you can be relied upon to protect sensitive information.

“We are really pleased with how our team in ADS and the National Cyber Security Centre have combined to produce this hugely important set of resources that will allow our members, and the sectors ADS represents more widely, to start and build upon the implementation of this key guidance and processes long into the future to ensure that the UK remains secure and prosperous online.”

Jon Gray, Director – Security & Resilience, ADS, said: “The timing of the launch of this Cyber Security Toolkit is really important. Good cyber security practice has been important for some time, but threats really have been highlighted in the last 12 months, whether that’s through increased activity from hostile states or increased activity in online crime.

“The premise of this document is to boost the overall cyber readiness across our sectors and is aimed at members who perhaps don’t have particularly big cyber security teams, with signposting to NCSC guidance and an overview of accreditations and other models that are widely used to enable organisations to take their cyber security posture forward.

“The toolkit demonstrates ADS’s position as a trusted partner of Government and NCSC, representing our members and our collective aim to ensure good security and resilience against cyber threats in the supply chains across our sectors.”

ADS member borwell is an award-winning software house based in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Their team of experienced software engineers work in partnership with businesses to create database driven, secure software apps, as well as a range of cyber security services including penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, cyber resilience managed services, Cyber SOC and Security refresher training.

Steve Borwell-Fox, Managing Director, borwell, said: “SMEs are vital to UK Government, the supply chain to prime contractors and serving industry needs. It is vital that SMEs do take pro-active steps to improve their cyber defences. At borwell we look at people, process and technology, and you need to be on guard across your business in all ways possible.

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“This toolkit is there to help, but also across ADS we have over 1100 members, many of whom have experience of improving their systems or provide those services. ADS members should also reach out to fellow members and members of the Digital Information and Systems Integrity Group (DISIG) to seek further guidance and help where needed.”

Richard Quinlan, Chair of the ADS DISIG, said: “The toolkit itself sets out very straightforwardly a collection of resources, case studies, and accreditations alongside some simple recommendations and steps for organisations to take. The toolkit recommends as a minimum Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus as some basic level protections, with an escalation of levels of protection beyond that.

“The Digital Information and Systems Integrity Group (DISIG) is a member Special Interest Group with approaching 100 member companies including both experts in cyber security and non-experts in cyber but other areas of security. The membership is however not uniquely security organisations and is representative of the four sectors of ADS, with a common focus on risk, resilience and to reduce the threat actors’ return on investment.

“In my role as Head of Sales and Business Development for Leonardo’s Cyber Security Division in the UK, I know how important the integrity of supply chains is to primes across the 4 sectors represented within ADS and so I really encourage the adoption of this toolkit. As an NCSC certified cyber consultancy and assured service provider, Leonardo, along with other cyber security companies in the DISIG, is here to help and prepared to offer our services to assist members to adopt practises.”

ADS is the UK trade organisation representing the Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space sectors, with more than 1,100 member businesses.

The ADS Cyber Security Toolkit is available to download for free here:
https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/reports/ads-launch-new-cyber-security-toolkit-for-the-supply-chain