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Government Security Classification (GSM)
This document describes how HM Government classifies information assets into OFFICAL, OFFICIAL SENSITIVE, SECRET and TOP SECRET to ensure information can be protected but also efficiently shared. This is not a statutory scheme, but operates within the requirements of the Official Secrets Acts (1911 and 1989) and the Freedom of Information Act (2000) and Data Protection legislation.
National Policing Community Security Policy (5.7)
Please note this is an OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE document, to request access please use the 'Contact Us' tab to raise a general query
National Police information, systems and networks must be safeguarded to ensure the Police Community can meet their statutory and regulatory responsibilities. The Police Community meets these responsibilities through a community of trust and by the implementation of this Community Security Policy (CSP).
This document relates to all National Police information; systems/services and networks, for which Chief Officers or Chief Executives are Joint Data Controllers. Furthermore it extends to all systems whether national or local that connect to access police information.
Extraction of material from digital devices APP
This document sets out the obligations on the police under the Data Protection Act 2018 and how these interact with other relevant legislation and case law. It provides police officers and staff with a set of principles to inform how they obtain digital devices – most often mobile phones but also laptops and other computers – from victims, witnesses and suspects for the purpose of an investigation and how they then extract the digital material from those devices. It will also help the public understand the responsibilities of the police when gathering evidence, obtaining devices and accessing the material held on them.
Cyber Essentials guidance
Most cyber attacks are conducted by unskilled individuals and are very basic in nature and cyber security is an important aspect to guard any organisation from cyber attacks. There are five essential technical controls that any organisation can put in place the following:
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Use a firewall to secure your internet connection
Many organisations will have a dedicated boundary firewall which protects their whole network. This effectively creates a ‘buffer zone’ between your IT network and other, external networks.
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Choose the most secure settings for your device an software
always check the settings of new software and devices and where possible, make changes which raise your level of security. For important accounts such as banking and IT administration, you should use two-factor authentication
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Control who has access to your data and services
To minimise the potential damage that could be done if an account is misused or stolen, staff accounts should have just enough access to software, settings, online services and device connectivity functions for them to perform their role.
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Protect yourself from viruses and other malware
Viruses are another well-known form of malware (malicious software). These programs are designed to infect legitimate software, passing unnoticed between machines. A user may open an infected email attachment, browse a malicious website, or use a removable storage drive, such as a USB memory stick, which is carrying malware. You can use anti-malware/virus software to detect and treat them.
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Keep your devices and software up to date
Manufacturers and developers release regular updates which not only add new features, but also fix any security vulnerabilities that have been discovered. Therefore it is important that manufacturers support the device with regular security updates.
10 Steps to Cyber Security
This guidance is designed to help organisations protect themselves in cyberspace and best practises for cyberspace security. It relays the task of defending your networks, systems and information into its essential components.
It is important to note, when dealing cyberspace protection, the organisation knows the kinds of cyber attacks it expects to understand what protection would be needed.
Note: This high level guidance provides context on the 10 steps. Each step is also individually signposted on the National Standards platform.