New ‘Early Warning’ cyber notification service launched

A new online service which alerts organisations to potential cyber attacks affecting their networks has been launched by the National Cyber Security Centre.

The new Early Warning Service is designed to help organisations defend against cyber attacks by providing timely notifications about possible incidents and security issues. It automatically filters through trusted threat intelligence sources to offer specialised alerts for organisations so they can investigate malicious activity and take the necessary steps to protect themselves.

Organisations will receive different types of alert, covering possible network compromises; notification of how their assets have been associated with undesirable activity or about their networks running vulnerable services that may need updating.

The Early Warning service is designed to fit into an organisation’s wider defence strategy and to complement existing cyber security controls by adding another layer of defence.

Organisations are being encouraged to sign up for Early Warning, which has been launched at NCSC’s CYBERUK virtual gathering. This follows a successful trial with users representing a range of sectors.

Eleanor Fairford, the NCSC’s Deputy Director for Incident Management, said: “When it comes to defending against online threats, having relevant, timely alerts you can trust about malicious activity is vital for any organisation.

“The NCSC’s new Early Warning service delivers on this, by providing organisations specialised alerts about potential cyber threats affecting their networks. We encourage organisations to sign up for this service to help them resolve security issues quickly and reduce the risk of serious harm being done.”