The NCSC wants cybersecurity startups to work with it to fight ransomware. It has invited startups to join the NCSC for Startups programme, run jointly by itself and Plexal. The timing of the challenge is interesting. It comes just a few weeks after the UK government announced the National Cyber Strategy.
Chris Ensor, Deputy Director for Cyber Growth at the NCSC, said: “Ransomware presents the most serious cyber security threat to the UK and it is vital that organisations protect themselves.
“Our latest NCSC for Startups challenge provides a great opportunity for innovative companies to collaborate with us in the fight against ransomware and strengthen the UK’s defences.”
What is the NCSC looking for?
That’s a good question. There are three areas where the NCSC wants startups to get involved:
- Reduce the risks involved in using Remote Desktop Protocol from home
- Help effective use of backups to minimise the impact of cyber attacks on companies
- Improve choice for SMEs looking for ransomware protection
In each area, the NCSC has set out a list of topics that startups can focus on. Interestingly, these are all areas where larger security firms are also looking for solutions. The route for a start-up might be to choose one or more of these topics, create a prototype and use that to attract funding. As this is being done under the auspices of an NCSC project, it should help startups get taken seriously.
There is no guaranteed cash award for successful startups, just promises of mentoring and help with developing and testing their solutions. However, the NCSC for Startups programme predecessor, the NCSC Cyber Accelerator, helped startups raise over £100 million. Will this happen here? That is unknown, but many will hope so.
This is not just about ransomware. The NCSC has also called out malvertising as an area where new solutions are required. In addition, there are broader cybersecurity challenge areas that the NCSC is looking at for 2022.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
This is a smart move by the NCSC to capture the attention of startups in the cybersecurity space. It is hoping to gain from the goodwill from its previous accelerator programme. However, the lack of a cash prize or guaranteed revenue from taking part may put many off. Promises of potential money down the road doesn’t cut it when you are trying to build a business.
What is also missing here are the criteria for those startups. Cybersecurity is a field where seemingly every day, another startup emerges from stealth. Is the NCSC looking to attract these? Most already have some seed funding in place before they go public. In that case, how would they gain benefits from this project?
The big hope is that this will deliver solutions that will make life easier and more secure for SMEs.