Cyber Essentials Plus is designed to help organisations guard against cyber-attack and demonstrate their commitment to cyber security.

The certification shows that an organisation meets cyber security requirements under five technical control themes:

• Firewalls
• Secure configuration
• User access control
• Malware protection
• Patch management

Robert Laley, the Regulator’s business intelligence manager, said: “Cyber-crime is a serious risk facing any business today. This independent accreditation gives us greater assurance that our systems are robust and that we have adequate control measures in place to prevent, and react quickly to cyber threats to protect the information we hold.”

The Regulator wrote to social landlords about cyber security last month after incidents of cyber-fraud in a small number of RSLs.

In its letter, the Regulator shared advice and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre and underlined the need for social landlords to ensure they protect tenant information.