Axiologik & Precursor launch UK cyber resilience tool

Axiologik and Precursor Security have formed a partnership and launched a cyber risk and resilience assessment service aimed at organisations preparing for the UK's proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.

The two UK technology companies said demand for their cyber work rose sharply last year. Axiologik reported a 600% year-on-year increase in cyber consulting work. Precursor Security reported a 50% increase in revenue over the same period.

The new service targets organisations that expect to fall within the scope of the legislation. The Bill is progressing through Parliament. It sets out mandatory minimum security requirements for organisations classed as critical to the economy and public services.

New assessment

The service, called AxioSECURE, focuses on cyber risk and organisational resilience. The companies said the assessment identifies significant cyber risks and ranks actions to address them. It also assesses an organisation's ability to recover from major cyber events.

Axiologik and Precursor said AxioSECURE combines strategic and technical analysis. It also includes offensive security testing.

The firms said the assessment covers people, process and technology. It includes review of risks introduced by suppliers, partners and third-party software.

Legislation focus

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill covers sectors including healthcare, utilities and transport. Once enacted, affected organisations would need to demonstrate cyber risk management and resilience.

The companies positioned the assessment as a route for organisations to understand gaps against the likely compliance expectations. They also said it provides a structured view of resilience work beyond technical controls.

Four to six weeks

Axiologik and Precursor said the AxioSECURE assessment typically takes four-to-six weeks. It includes external attack surface mapping. It also includes assessment of internal controls and targeted threat intelligence tied to major cyber threat scenarios.

The companies said the assessment produces action plans for short and medium-term changes. It also includes incident response rehearsal based on real-world scenarios.

Ben Davison, Co-Founder and Director, Axiologik, described the drivers behind the new offering and the risk areas it highlights.

"The cyber security landscape is complex and constantly evolving. Our assessment tools are designed to cut through that and give organisations clear, practical insights into where they are exposed and what they need to do next. Last year's high-profile attacks have shown that even organisations who have already invested heavily in cyber security can be caught out, particularly where they have failed to fully consider third-party breaches, which are one of the biggest overlooked risks.

Davison said the partnership aimed to combine different disciplines in a single engagement.

"There are very few assessments that combine deep technical cyber expertise with the strategic perspectives needed to assess risk holistically across today's modern, complex enterprises. In partnering with Precursor we believe we're offering something genuinely different - support that helps organisations not just understand their risk, but actually take action," said Davison.

He also linked the assessment to the direction of travel in regulation.

"Incoming legislation is going to make cyber resilience a legal requirement for many organisations, but it should be deemed essential work for every organisation, regardless of whether they fall within the scope of the new Bill," said Davison.

Axiologik is a digital, technology and engineering consultancy based in Leeds. It was founded in 2016. Precursor Security operates as a cyber security specialist. The companies said the partnership comes as more organisations look at supplier and software dependencies as part of cyber risk management.

The firms said they expect interest in formal cyber resilience assessment work to rise as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill continues its passage through Parliament and organisations prepare for minimum security requirements.