Strengthening cyber resilience

Cyber-attacks are costing UK businesses an estimated £14.7bn annually so, the need for coordinated, proactive action has never been clearer. From ransomware attacks to supply chain compromises, organisations face constant risk. The consequences are not just financial - although the average significant incident costs nearly £195,000 per business - but also operational and reputational. As attack surfaces expand, particularly across complex supply chains, resilience is no longer optional; it is a business-critical capability.

What is the Cyber Resilience Pledge? 

The Government’s Cyber Resilience Pledge provides a clear, actionable framework for organisations to strengthen their cyber posture. It focuses on three core commitments: 

1. Making cyber a Board-level priority 
Cyber security is elevated to a strategic issue, requiring: 

• Adoption of the Cyber Governance Code of Practice 
• Completion of NCSC Cyber Governance Training by all board members (within three months, then annually) 

2. Signing up to early warning 
Organisations register for the NCSC Early Warning service, which provides alerts about potential malicious activity affecting their networks. 

3. Strengthening supply chain security 
Recognising supply chain vulnerabilities, organisations commit to: 

• Using the Cyber Essentials Supplier Check Tool 
• Auditing supplier cyber security coverage 
• Taking a risk-based approach to requiring Cyber Essentials certification 

In addition, organisations agree to:

• Encourage similar practices across their own supply chains
• Publish their pledge and provide annual updates on progress 

Why this matters 

The pledge is designed to deliver immediate and meaningful impact: 

• Improved resilience: Reducing the likelihood and severity of cyber incidents 
• Increased trust: Demonstrating transparency and accountability to customers and stakeholders 
• Competitive advantage: Differentiating organisations through robust cyber governance 
• National benefit: Contributing to a stronger, more secure UK economy 
• The NCSC has made clear that widespread adoption of these measures will significantly improve resilience at both organisational and national levels. 

QinetiQ’s commitment 

As a defence and security company supporting the UK and its allies in highly regulated and security-critical environments, cyber security is embedded across our business.  

The commitments set out in the Cyber Resilience Pledge closely align with what we’re already doing at QinetiQ and will enable us to strengthen baseline cyber maturity across our supply chain as well as the wider industrial ecosystem that supports the UK's defence and security capability.  

Becoming one of the first organisations to sign up, we’re reaffirming our commitment to excellence in security, resilience and risk management and look forward to sharing our experience and expertise to ensure the resilience of the UK.