We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our site. By continuing to use our website without changing the settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Enter Site

Can you crack the code

What 13 - letter place name is hidden in this sentence?

You need the ability to receive clues, e.g. noticing exactly thirteen examples of one vowel in a sentence - the letters just before every appearance of one of a, e, i, o or u may inspire your brain to spot the trickiness

Think you know?

Bletchley Park

Once the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers is now a vibrant heritage attraction. It's filled with challenges and inspiring stories of those who pioneered to keep us safe.

Explore Bletchley Park
HM Government Logo

Click and drag to view

“The
world
changed
in
2020
and
so
did
the
balance
of
threats
we
are
seeing.
As
this
Review
shows,
the
expertise
of
the
NCSC,
as
part
of
GCHQ,
has
been
invaluable
in
keeping
the
country
safe:
enabling
us
to
defend
our
democracy,
counter
high
levels
of
malicious
state
and
criminal
activity,
and
protect
against
those
who
have
tried
to
exploit
the
pandemic.
The
years
ahead
are
likely
to
be
just
as
challenging,
but
I
am
confident
that
in
the
NCSC
we
have
developed
the
capabilities,
relationships
and
approaches
to
keep
the
UK
at
the
forefront
of
global
cyber
security.”

Click and drag to view

“We
know
that
cyber
criminals
are
opportunistic
and
will
look
to
exploit
people’s
fears,
and
this
has
undoubtedly
been
the
case
with
the
coronavirus
outbreak.


“Our
advice
to
the
public
is
to
follow
our
guidance,
which
includes
everything
from
password
advice
to
spotting
suspect
emails.


“In
the
event
that
someone
does
fall
victim
to
a
phishing
attempt,
they
should
look
to
report
this
to
Action
Fraud
as
soon
as
possible.”

“This
is
an
example
of
how
we
deploy
our
high-end
security
architects
to
key
projects
in
government
to
ensure
that
security
is
at
the
heart
of
its
systems.”


What are ESPs?

  • ESPs are public, private and third sector organisations essential to the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis
  • They cover a wide range of areas including online supermarkets, haulage companies, ventilator manufacturers, healthcare suppliers, supply chain companies and charities
  • They also include existing CNI partners such as communications, energy and financial organisations

How were they identified by the NCSC?

  • At the start of the coronavirus outbreak the NCSC worked with government departments to identify and map ESPs
  • Those already engaged with the NCSC were contacted, then the team worked with central government, trade associations and other organisations to bring together a portfolio of contacts
  • The NCSC repurposed its CNI Knowledge Base, which maps the UK’s national infrastructure, to help government understand the interdependencies and connections between ESPs in certain sectors

What support were they given?

  • 17 new items of guidance and a range of additional engagement material were produced to advise on the actions needed to reduce the risks of cyber attacks
  • The NCSC liaised with 1,283 ESPs – enabling them to reach out to hundreds of additional supplier companies
  • Incidents and cyber enquiries were managed and findings fed back into the NCSC’s products
  • This work resulted in products being created to help the change in operating and working environment such as the ‘moving your business from physical to digital’ publication
  • Bespoke offers of support were provided, such as the Cyber Essentials offer to small and medium sized businesses supporting healthcare
On
the
basis
of
extensive
analysis,
the
Government
has
concluded
that
it
is
almost
certain
that
Russian
actors
sought
to
interfere
in
the
2019
General
Election
through
the
online
amplification
of
illicitly
acquired
and
leaked
Government
documents.


“Sensitive
Government
documents
relating
to
the
UK-US
Free
Trade
Agreement
were
illicitly
acquired
before
the
2019
General
Election
and
disseminated
online
via
the
social
media
platform
Reddit.
When
these
gained
no
traction,
further
attempts
were
made
to
promote
the
illicitly
acquired
material
online
in
the
run-up
to
the
General
Election.


“Whilst
there
is
no
evidence
of
a
broad
spectrum
Russian
campaign
against
the
General
Election,
any
attempt
to
interfere
in
our
democratic
processes
is
completely
unacceptable.
It
is,
and
will
always
be,
an
absolute
priority
to
protect
our
democracy
and
elections.”

“Capabilities
like
AMS
highlight
both
the
very
latest
developments
in
cybersecurity
and
also
the
ability
of
highly
sensitive
departments
to
work
in
a
modern
way.
The
advances
are
the
results
of
the
NCSC’s
diligent
research
collaborations
with
our
academic
and
industry
partners"



“At
the
NCSC,
we
are
proud
that
our
technical
expertise
helps
to
keep
our
armed
forces
safe
and
operating
with
confidence
all
around
the
world.”


“UK
Strategic
Command
and
the
NCSC
frequently
work
hand-in-hand
to
enhance
Defence’s
security
posture
and
in
the
fight
to
protect
our
networks
and
critical
national
information
against
constant
attack.


“Cyberspace
is
the
most
active
domain,
and
the
NCSC
delivers
critical
support
to
us
in
threat
and
incident
management,
high
grade
cryptography
and
in
providing
specialist
support
such
as
preparing
for
CSG21
(UK
Carrier
Strike
Group
21)
and
the
ongoing
support
to
the
strategic
deterrent.”

“The
work
the
NCSC
does
to
battle
harden
our
fifth
generation
F-35B
Lightning
jets
from
cyber
security
threats
is
vital
and
means
the
UK
can
deploy
and
support
this
capability
at
a
time
and
place
of
our
choosing."


April to August 2020

“There's
been
an
explosion
of
scam
adverts
in
the
UK.
We've
been
fighting
them
on
all
fronts.
I've
even
sued,
but
the
toughest
nut
to
crack
is
scam
emails,
because
emails
come
from
everywhere.


“That's
why
the
NCSC's
new
report-and-remove
function
is
so
vital...
at
last,
we
can
forward
scams
to
report@phishing.gov.uk
and
know
that
someone
will
take
action.


“Yet
we
need
what
I
call
'social
policing'
too
-
everyone
that
can
spot
a
scam
must
take
up
arms
and
report
it
to
protect
those
who
can't.
It's
why
I've
shouted
it
from
the
roof
tops
on
my
show,
MSE
and
social
media,
and
we've
seen
the
rate
of
reports
quadruple,
which
is
proof
people
are
ready
to
do
their
bit.”


“Phishing
is
often
the
first
step
in
a
lot
of
fraud
cases
we
see.
It
provides
a
gateway
for
criminals
to
steal
your
personal
and
financial
details,
sometimes
without
you
even
realising
it,
which
they
can
then
use
to
take
your
money.


“Unquestionably,
a
vast
number
of
frauds
will
have
been
prevented,
thanks
to
the
public
reporting
all
these
phishing
attempts.
Not
only
that,
but
it
has
allowed
for
vital
intelligence
to
be
collected
by
police
and
demonstrates
the
power
of
working
together
when
it
comes
to
stopping
fraudsters
in
their
tracks.”


“These
investment
scams
are
a
striking
example
of
the
kind
of
methods
cyber
criminals
are
now
deploying
to
try
to
con
people.


“We
are
exposing
them
today
not
only
to
raise
public
awareness
but
to
show
the
criminals
behind
them
that
we
know
what
they’re
up
to
and
are
taking
action
to
stop
it.”


“We
have
dealt
with
hundreds
of
instances
of
fake
sites
and
fraudsters
impersonating
me
or
my
team
online.


“We
are
working
in
partnership
with
organisations
such
as
the
NCSC
to
report
these
sites
and
do
all
we
can
to
get
them
taken
down
as
quickly
as
possible.


“Sadly,
the
scams
are
not
going
to
disappear
overnight,
and
I
would
urge
everyone
to
be
vigilant
and
always
check
for
official
website
addresses
and
verified
social
media
accounts.”


“The
NCSC,
alongside
the
entire
UK
Government,
is
working
closely
with
the
most
critical
UK
businesses
of
today
and
tomorrow
to
increase
their
resilience
to
cyber
threats.


“This
is
exemplified
in
the
joint
work
between
industry
and
the
NCSC
in
developing
the
FSCCC
to
defend
UK
interests
against
cyber
threats.


“Working
with
trusted
international
partners
helps
multiply
our
impact
globally
and
ensures
our
work
remains
at
the
cutting
edge
of
what
is
possible.”


“Businesses
wanted
to
do
all
they
could
to
keep
themselves
and
their
staff
safe
while
home
working
continues,
and
using
Exercise
in
a
Box
is
an
excellent
way
to
do
that.


“While
cyber
security
can
feel
daunting,
it
doesn’t
have
to
be,
and
the
feedback
we
have
had
from
our
exercises
is
that
they’re
fun
as
well
as
informative.


“We
urge
business
leaders
to
treat
Exercise
in
a
Box
in
the
same
way
they
do
their
regular
fire
drills
doing
so
will
help
reduce
the
chances
of
falling
victim
to
future
cyber
attacks.”


“Exercise
in
a
Box
is
a
fantastic
tool
that’s
free,
well
thought-out,
easy-to-use
and
can
help
improve
an
organisation’s
security
posture
what’s
not
to
love
in
that?”


“In
many
cases
the
effects
of
cyber
attacks
could
be
mitigated
by
putting
good
cyber
hygiene
principles
into
practice,
or
by
planning
and
implementing
an
incident
response
capability.


“Exercise
in
a
Box
is
designed
for
the
non-cyber
expert
with
everything
the
facilitator
needs
to
set
up,
plan,
and
deliver
the
exercise.
Among
the
topics
covered
are
phishing
attack
leading
to
ransomware
infection,
the
threatened
leak
of
sensitive
data,
and
mobile
phone
theft
and
response.


“On
completion
there
is
an
end
report
with
links
to
NCSC
advice
and
guidance.
In
addition,
we’ve
just
added
micro
exercises
on
single
topics
designed
to
provide
the
basics
over
15-20
minutes.


“The
new
functionality
delivered
by
the
CNI
Knowledge
Base
will
be
a
game
changer
for
the
UK
Government.
For
the
first
time,
we
will
have
the
tools
needed
to
identify
the
functional,
organisational
and
geographic
dependencies
within
and
across
CNI
sectors,
informing
meaningful
collaboration
with
stakeholders
and
helping
us
make
the
UK
safe,
secure
and
resilient.”


“The
NCSC
Knowledge
Base
will
enable
a
step-change
in
the
way
the
Government
anticipates,
prevents
and
responds
to
cascading
risks
that
could
impact
our
most
essential
services.
A
flagship
project
under
the
2016
National
Cyber
Security
Programme,
it
provides
a
world-leading
capability
in
CNI
risk
management.”


Illustration of coins going into a donation box.

Guidance on cyber security

With the National Association of Community and Voluntary Action and the Foundation for Social Improvement, the NCSC upskilled over 40 local delivery partners and to date has trained over 5,000 small charities in cyber security.

In total, the NCSC delivered more than 100 workshops, podcasts and webinars all over the UK for the voluntary sector.

Illustration of a fictional graph showing steady increase.

Entry level advice for NatWest business customers

The NCSC’s Small Business Guide was reused in innovative ways to reach NatWest business customers.

This included a blog posted to their Bankline platform and references within their ‘Security tip toasters’ and FAQ content – which were live for two weeks, receiving 40,000 unique views.

Additionally 9,000 bespoke versions of the guide were created and distributed to Natwest's business customers.

“The
issue
of
cyber
security
is
one
all
sports,
including
Rugby
League,
take
seriously.
As
we
grow
our
digital
capabilities
and
online
platforms,
protecting
the
governing
body,
our
members,
customers
and
stakeholders
is
paramount.


“We
welcome
the
NCSC
Report
and
the
guidance
it
offers
the
sports
sector.”


“Improving
cyber
security
across
the
sports
sector
is
critical.
The
British
Olympic
Association
sees
this
report
as
a
crucial
first
step,
helping
sports
organisations
to
better
understand
the
threat
and
highlighting
practical
steps
that
organisations
should
take
to
improve
cyber
security
practices.”


“It
has
never
been
more
important
for
colleges
to
have
the
right
digital
infrastructure
in
order
to
be
able
to
protect
their
systems
and
keep
learning
happening,
whatever
the
circumstance.


“This
needs
a
whole
college
approach
and
for
a
focus
wider
than
just
systems,
it
needs
to
include
supporting
leaders,
teachers
and
students
to
recognise
threats,
mitigate
against
them,
and
act
decisively
when
something
goes
wrong.


“The
NCSC’s
guidance
will
prove
incredibly
useful
for
colleges
to
ensure
that
they
can
do
just
that.”


“It
is
vital
businesses
take
action
to
protect
themselves
and
their
customers
from
security
risks
and
cyber
insurance
can
play
an
important
part
in
robust
risk
management
strategies.


“I
encourage
firms
to
consider
this
guidance
and
use
programmes
such
as
Cyber
Essentials
to
make
sure
they
have
fundamental
cyber
security
defences
in
place.”


“We
were
absolutely
delighted
to
step
into
the
role
of
Cyber
Essentials
Partner.


“We
see
the
Cyber
Essentials
scheme
already
having
such
a
positive
effect
on
the
security
of
UK
business
and
the
strong
partnership
with
the
NCSC
allows
us
now
to
enhance
the
scheme
to
be
even
more
effective.”


“At
the
NCSC,
we
get
ahead
of
the
cyber
threats
and
defend
critical
sectors
before
damage
is
done.


“Thanks
to
our
access
to
key
intelligence,
our
ability
to
predict
trends
and
the
agility
of
response,
we
refocused
many
of
our
capabilities
to
focus
on
coronavirus-related
sectorsthis
year.


“It’s
vital
that
we
stay
ahead
of
threats
and
are
able
to
quickly
react
to
the
threat
landscape.”


“We
actively
redirected
our
efforts
to
defend
the
health
sector
and
because
it
was
such
a
priority,
it
rose
to
our
second
most
supported
sector
this
year.”


“We
worked
closely
with
the
NCSC
following
the
cyber
attack
and
its
expertise
and
guidance
enabled
us
to
recover
our
systems
effectively
and
plan
additional
security
measures
above
industry-approved
standards.”


“The
NCSC
is
a
key
partner
for
the
NCA’s
National
Cyber
Crime
Unit;
helping
us
achieve
our
mission
to
reduce
the
threat
to
the
UK
from
cyber
crime,
through
investigations
and
disruptions
delivered
in
partnership
with
Team
Cyber
UK.


“We
work
closely
at
both
a
strategic
and
tactical
level.
From
shaping
the
whole
system
response
to
assisting
industry
with
advice
on
protecting
their
systems
and
preventing
malicious
activity.


“We
jointly
deploy
to
crime
scenes,
allowing
the
NCA
to
obtain
evidence,
whilst
managing
‘crimes
in
action
leading’
to
the
identification
of
suspects,
arrests
and
prosecutions.


“Nowhere
is
this
more
important
than
in
the
response
to
ransomware
where
our
partnership
assists
the
victim
with
restoration
of
their
systems
whilst
enabling
us
to
pursue
the
suspects
in
the
UK
and
overseas,
using
a
range
of
measures
including
arrest,
prosecution
and
international
sanctions.”


“The
technical
advice
and
expertise
of
the
NCSC
has
been
at
the
heart
of
our
approach
towards
the
telecoms
supply
chain
review,
high-risk
vendors,
and
the
development
of
the
UK’s
diversification
strategy.


“We
are
making
strong
progress
to
drive
up
telecoms
security
standards
and
this
is
testament
to
the
excellent
and
seamless
partnership
working
across
DCMS
and
the
NCSC.”


“Working
for
the
public-facing
side
of
the
business
allows
an
insight
you
wouldn’t
normally
see
anywhere
else
in
the
building.
The
limits
for
customer
engagement
are
endless,
and
the
work
produced
always
has
a
real
influence.


“I
enjoy
that
you
can
see
the
impact
you
have
on
customers.
On
top
of
this,
the
atmosphere
in
teams
is
always
so
friendly
and
encouraging,
so
overall
the
NCSC
is
a
great
area
to
work
for.”


“This
guide
will
act
as
a
real
enabler
for
developing
cyber
security
as
a
profession.
It’s
been
developed
by
the
community,
for
the
community
and
will
play
a
major
role
in
education,
training
and
professional
practice.”


“I’m
really
pleased
that
the
NCSC
also
chose
to
pilot
the
CyberFirst
Schools
programme
here
in
Wales,
and
we’ll
continue
to
work
closely
with
them
to
actively
encourage
schools
and
colleges
in
Wales
to
take
advantage
of
the
excellent
opportunities
provided
by
CyberFirst.”


“The
academy
was
an
amazing
experience
that
has
had
a
massive
impact
on
me,
and
my
summer
placement
was
amazing.


“I
had
a
great
time
and
discovered
so
much
more
about
cyber
security,
possibly
even
solidifying
what
I
want
to
do
going
into
the
future
in
terms
of
career
choice.”


“I’m
incredibly
pleased
with
my
summer
placement,
the
project
was
joint
with
a
government
agency
and
I
was
able
to
conduct
research
and
learn
aspects
of
cyber
security
which
I’d
never
have
considered
previously.”


“From
my
engagements
in
many
countries
around
the
world
it
is
very
clear
that
the
NCSC
continues
to
set
the
benchmark
against
which
other
national
cyber
security
organisations
can
measure
themselves.
It
forms
a
cornerstone
to
the
UK’s
continued
ambitions
as
a
cyber
power
and
an
important
underpinning
element
of
UK
cyber
security
companies’
offer
in
their
overseas
markets.”


“With
our
allied
cyber
security
government
partners,
we
work
together
every
day
to
help
improve
and
strengthen
the
cyber
security
of
organisations
and
sectors
of
our
economy
that
are
increasingly
targeted
by
criminals
and
nation
states
alike.


“Fortunately,
there’s
strength
in
numbers
and
this
unified
approach
to
combining
our
experiences
with
a
range
of
malicious
actors
means
that
we’re
able
to
extend
our
defensive
umbrella
on
a
global
scale.”


“At
the
Australian
Cyber
Security
Centre,
we
collaborate
closely
with
our
international
partners
by
sharing
threat
intelligence,
technical
tradecraft
and
indicators
of
compromise.
Our
joint
advisories
with
Five
Eyes
nations
are
crucial
to
ensuring
that
valuable
threat
information
is
shared
quickly
and
efficiently,
to
mitigate
and
protect
against
malicious
cyber
activity
around
the
world.


“The
long-standing
relationship
between
the
Australian
Signals
Directorate
(ASD)
and
GCHQ
is
an
important
force
multiplier
for
our
cyber
security
efforts,
and
our
joint
operations
to
combat
cyber
criminals
is
a
prime
example.
In
one
case
from
the
last
year,
our
collaboration
identified
over
200,000
stolen
credit
cards
globally,
including
over
11,000
stolen
Australian
cards.
These
stolen
credit
cards
represent
potential
losses
of
over
A$90
million
globally,
and
over
A$7.5
million
within
Australia.”


“Coronavirus
has
had
a
profound
impact
on
the
world.
This
uncertain
environment
is
ripe
for
exploitation
by
threat
actors
seeking
to
advance
their
own
interests.
To
counter
these
threats,
the
Canadian
Centre
for
Cyber
Security
(Cyber
Centre)
is
working
hand-in-hand
with
the
NCSC
to
detect
and
disrupt
shared
threats.
We
exchange
information
to
better
protect
our
health
sectors
and
over
the
past
year,
we
have
released
cyber
alerts
and
threat
bulletins
leveraging
each
other’s
reporting
and
advice.
Furthermore,
we
issued
technical
information
about
cyber
threat
activity
directed
at
Canadian
and
United
Kingdom
organisations,
including
vaccine
research
entities,
involved
in
coronavirus
response
and
recovery
efforts.


“The
Cyber
Centre
and
the
NCSC
continue
to
work
together
to
protect
critical
infrastructure
sectors
from
cyber
threats,
through
regular
information
exchanges
and
by
working
collaboratively
on
joint
programmes
and
initiatives.
For
example,
the
NCSC
has
leveraged
and
deployed
some
of
the
Cyber
Centre’s
defensive
capabilities
across
UK
Government
departments.
Similarly,
the
Cyber
Centre
has
been
promoting
items
such
as
DMARC
where
the
NCSC
was
leading.


“We
continue
to
share
knowledge
and
threat
information
with
each
other
on
important
and
challenging
topics
including
cloud
security,
encryption
and
cryptology,
and
election
security.
Looking
ahead,
we
will
continue
to
amplify
each
other’s
notifications
on
critical
cyber
threats
to
raise
awareness
of
the
evolving
threats
in
our
respective
countries.”


“The
UK
was
delighted
to
play
an
active
role
in
SICW
2019.
International
partnerships
across
industry,
academic
and
government,
are
key
to
a
safe
and
secure
cyber
space.


“We
were
particularly
pleased
that
the
CEO
of
UK
National
Cyber
Security
Centre
joined
us
in
Singapore
and
signed
a
joint
statement
of
cooperation
between
our
two
nations
on
the
Internet
of
Things.”


“Cyber
threats
don’t
care
about
borders,
so
collaboration
between
international
partners
is
key
to
raising
our
collective
cyber
security.


“CISA
and
the
NCSC
have
worked
together
on
a
number
of
important
efforts
over
the
past
year,
such
as
the
NCSC’s
‘Secure
Design
Principles’
blog,
CISA’s
‘Industrial
Control
Systems
Cybersecurity
Best
Practices’
infographic
and
joint
advisories
about
nation
state
and
malicious
cyber
actors.


“We
look
forward
to
working
with
the
NCSC
on
other
actionable,
informative
and
timely
products
to
protect
critical
infrastructure
and
our
citizens.”


“The
NCSC’s
world-leading
expertise
has
provided
a
strong
foundation
at
home
for
our
efforts
overseas
to
protect
and
promote
a
free,
open,
peaceful
and
secure
cyberspace.


“The
respect
and
admiration
it
commands
from
international
partners
has
opened
doors
for
our
diplomats,
and
it
has
been
generous
in
sharing
its
skills
and
knowledge
to
strengthen
global
resilience
and
security.”