20 January 2022 – London, UK – Crossword Cybersecurity Plc (AIM:CCS, "Crossword", the "Company" or the "Group"), the technology commercialisation company focused on cyber security and risk management, is today announcing that its online software assurance platform, Rizikon Assurance, is being made freely available to members of UK technology trade association, techUK for a single-use cyber security assessment to support them towards Cyber Essentials certification.

techUK SME members will be able to use Rizikon Assurance to self-assess their cyber security alignment with the UK Government's Cyber Essentials scheme. A report from the self-assessment will be issued with a high-level overview and 'Scorecard', helping them identify areas of cyber security weakness. The first 40 techUK members to complete the assessment will also be eligible for a one-hour consultation with a Crossword cyber security specialist to discuss their report in more detail. Should the member firm want to move towards formal Cyber Essentials certification, Crossword will for a fixed fee assist them with achieving certification.

Additionally, Crossword will offer a limited free use of the Rizikon Assurance platform to techUK members interested in utilising the platform to assess their supply chain risks in a range of areas. Rizikon Assurance is a secure, encrypted portal which puts an organisation in control of managing risks in its supply chain and the financial, regulatory and reputational risks they indirectly carry. Rizikon Pro contains standard questionnaires on subjects such as cyber security, GDPR, supplier on-boarding, modern slavery, and anti-bribery & corruption. Customers can also opt to upgrade, which allows them to create their own question sets and scoring approaches, enabling a 360-degree view of supply chain risk in a single pane of glass.

Ruchika Kulkarni, Manager, Business Development and Customer Relationships at techUK, said: "Most of our members are SMEs and our new collaboration with Crossword Cybersecurity will give them the opportunity to freely self-assess their cyber security alignment with the UK Government's Cyber Essentials scheme. This is part of our continuous commitment to our members to support them in their cyber security journey, which has never been as important as it is now."

Sean Arrowsmith, Group Sales Director at Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, said: "We are very pleased to have been able to collaborate with techUK to create this offer, which gives SME members the opportunity to experience how Rizikon Assurance can help them facilitate a self-assessment of their cyber security and work towards becoming Cyber Essentials certified. Additionally, those that are looking to undertake assessments of their suppliers can also get access to a free version of the platform to assist in driving some automation into that process."

Contacts

Crossword Cybersecurity plc – Tel: +44 (0) 20 3953 8460
Email: info@crosswordcybersecurity.com
Tom Ilube, Chief Executive Officer
Mary Dowd, Chief Financial Officer

Grant Thornton (Nominated Adviser) – Tel: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100
Colin Aaronson / Daphne Zhang

Hybridan LLP (Broker) – Tel: +44 (0)203 764 2341
Claire Louise Noyce

For media enquiries contact:

Duncan Gurney, GingerPR
crossword@gingerpr.co.uk - Tel: +44 (0)1932 485 300

About Crossword Cybersecurity plc

Crossword Cybersecurity plc focuses on the development and commercialisation of university research-based cyber security and risk management related software and cyber security consulting. The Group's specialist cyber security product development and software engineering teams work with its university partners to develop the research concept into a fully-fledged commercial product that it will then take to market. The Group's aim is to build up a portfolio of revenue generating, intellectual property based, cyber security products. Rizikon Assurance, Crossword's leading product, is a SaaS platform that enables medium to large companies to assess and manage all risks from their suppliers. Nixer CyberML, Crossword's most recently launched product, is a new tool for businesses that want to solve advanced security and cybercrime problems, such as detecting and dealing with compromised accounts, fraud, and in-application denial of service attacks. Crossword's team of expert cyber security consultants leverages years of experience in national security, defence and commercial cyber intelligence and operations to provide bespoke advice tailored to its clients' business needs, including threat monitoring.

About techUK

techUK is the trade association which brings together people, companies and organisations to realise the positive outcomes of what digital technology can achieve. techUK creates a network for innovation and collaboration across business, government and stakeholders to provide a better future for people, society, the economy and the planet.