Top 10 Cybersecurity Start-ups & Companies in the UK
Cybersecurity is the protection of computer systems and networks from information disclosure, theft of or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
Cybersecurity Guide
Why Is Cybersecurity Important?
With an increasing number of users and sensitive or confidential data, the growing volume and sophistication of cyber attackers and attack techniques compound a huge problem. Therefore, a strong cybersecurity strategy can provide good security against malicious attacks designed to access, alter, delete, destroy or extort an organisation’s or user’s systems and sensitive data. Cybersecurity is also instrumental in preventing attacks that aim to disable or disrupt a system’s or device’s operations.
Whilst traditional reactive approaches recommend protecting systems against the biggest known threats, this is no longer a sufficient tactic. To keep up with changing security risks, continuous monitoring and real-time assessments as part of a risk assessment framework are needed to defend against known and unknown threats.
What Are the Benefits of Cybersecurity?
The benefits of implementing and maintaining cybersecurity practices include:
- Business protection against cyberattacks and data breaches.
- Protection for data and networks.
- Prevention of unauthorized user access.
- Improved recovery time after a breach.
- Protection for end users and endpoint devices.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Business continuity.
- Improved confidence in the company’s reputation and trust for developers, partners, customers, stakeholders and employees.
What Are the Elements of Cybersecurity?
The cybersecurity field can be broken down into several different sections, as per below. Their coordination within the organisation is crucial to the success of a cybersecurity program.
- Application security
- Information or data security
- Network security
- Disaster recovery/business continuity planning
- Operational security
- Cloud security
- Critical infrastructure security
- Physical security
- End-user education
What Are the Different Types of Cybersecurity Threats?
Cyber threats come from a variety of sources or threat/malicious actors. It is important to locate them in order to act against them or protect your data against them. The most common types of cyber threats prevalent today are:
- Phishing: A cyberattack via emails that tricks the recipient into clicking a link containing malware. This malware then gets downloaded into the recipient’s computer and exposes confidential information and sensitive data. These messages trick recipients into sharing their user logins, credit card information, financial information, and private databases.
- Ransomware: This refers to encrypting an individual or organization’s data and demanding a ransom for allowing the user to access it again. These attacks range from mere nuisances to serious incidents.
- IoT Attacks: Internet of Things (IoT) devices include home security systems, webcams, routers, medical devices, smartwatches, household appliances, etc. Hackers take over the device to make it a part of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack and gain unauthorised access to the data.
- Electronic Medical Records (EMRs): Remember the 2017 NHS hack? With medical records being largely online, hackers have been exploiting the lack of proper security defences to gain access to sensitive data in these records. If a device directly connected to the patient gets compromised, it could easily mean the loss of life.
- Crypto-jacking: This is a cybercrime trend in which hackers hijack third-party homes or work on computers to fish for cryptocurrency.
- Semi-autonomous Vehicles: Hackers exploit the vulnerabilities of these cars to steal sensitive data or harm drivers.
- Man in the Middle Attack (MitM): This refers to a form of cyberattack in which the attacker sets up a position between the sender and the receiver and intercepts the messages or changes them in transit. All the while, the sender and receiver believe that they are communicating directly.
Below we present you the best cyber security start-ups in the UK to help protect your business. The first 5 have been recently selected to work with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to address the most serious national cyber security threats facing the UK.
PORGiESOFT is an AI start-up based in Cambridge, UK which combines research data, algorithms, technology & AI to solve problems in education & fraud detection.
Exalens is a London based start-up with deep roots in AI-driven cyber-physical security research. Their systems combine the capabilities of a human security analyst with an engineer’s understanding of physical system behaviour and processes to detect incidents and to respond to threats in seconds.
Enclave Networks is a start-up based in Newport, Wales whose mission is to make network infrastructure management more simple, agile and secure using patented Zero Trust technology.
Rebellion Defence is a British-American London-based software company building artificial intelligence (AI) products exclusively for the missions of defence and national security for the US, the UK and its allies.
Based in London, Noetic Cyber is a new entrant to cyber asset and controls management markets. The company uses a cloud-based platform to provide teams with unified visibility of all assets to make faster, more accurate decisions to detect coverage gaps and reduce cyber risk.
Callsign has built a secure mobile multi-factor authentication and authorisation engine, through the introduction of patented machine-learning biometric, behavioural, geo-location and identity analysis, combined with traditional methods. Designed for the Financial Services and IOT markets, Callsign’s crypto-engine provides unparalleled security across the enterprise, retail and consumer sectors to enable secure access, and to combat real-time phishing, Man-in-the-Middle and malware threats.
Redscan is a multi-award-winning London-provider specialising in threat detection and integrated incident response. Possessing a deep knowledge of offensive security, Redscan’s experts are among the most qualified in the industry, working as an extension of clients’ in-house resources to expose and address vulnerabilities plus swiftly identify and shut down breaches. Se
