Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus: Understanding the 2026 Changes to the Scheme

With cyber threats now representing perhaps the most significant security threat to modern organisations, a robust foundation of up-to-date security measures has become a must-have.  Cyber Essentials, a UK government backed certification scheme, provides a practical, effective framework of such foundational measures, designed to help organisations defend against the most common cyber attacks and demonstrate a strong baseline of cyber security.

For organisations aiming to achieve Cyber Essentials for the first time or maintain an existing certification, having a comprehensive understanding of the scheme’s requirements is essential.  These requirements are not static; the scheme is updated every year to reflect evolving threats, and each update brings adjustments organisations need to be aware of.  This year introduces a particularly significant set of changes, coming into force from 27 April 2026.

To help you prepare, URM will be hosting a webinar on 18 March 2026 at 11am, where one of our experienced Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus assessors will explain the scheme, its requirements, what the upcoming changes mean in practice and answer your key questions about achieving and maintaining certification.

The session will cover:

• A High-Level Introduction to Cyber Essentials
  
  • What Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are
  • The five technical control areas, requirements for certification and typical assessment journey
• Updates to the Scheme in 2026
  
  • The changes coming into force in April, including:
    
    • The new Requirements for IT Infrastructure document and Danzell Question Set (replacing the current Willow set)
    • Adjustments to the certification process, marking scheme, and Cyber Essentials Plus methodology
  • What these updates mean for your organisation and how to prepare
• Live Q&A Session
  
  • Your opportunity to put questions directly to an experienced Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus assessor.

‍