The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is urging tech startups to join the fight against ransomware.

Companies with ideas to protect small businesses from ransomware are offered a chance to develop them further with leading cyber security experts.

The companies can apply to join NCSC For Startups, a programme in which they collaborate with experts to develop, adapt and test their products.

The programme was launched last year by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – and the innovation company Plexal. The programme’s aim is to bring together innovative startups with NCSC technical expertise to solve some of the UK’s most important cyber challenges.

The latest call for companies to join the programme is aimed at those who are developing products to protect SMEs from the growing ransomware threat. In the first four months of 2021, the NCSC handled the same number of ransomware incidents as for the whole of 2020 – which was itself a number more than three times greater than in 2019.

The NCSC and Plexal want to hear from startups that can:

  • improve choice for SMEs looking for ransomware protection
  • encourage firms to implement secure backups to minimise the impact of an attack
  • reduce the risks involved in using Remote Desktop Protocol from home

See: Current challenges – NCSC.GOV.UK