The United States does not have a direct equivalent to the UK’s Cyber Essentials—a government-backed certification for basic cybersecurity hygiene—but it does have several programs and frameworks that serve similar purposes for different audiences and sectors.
Here’s how the US compares:
🇬🇧 UK Cyber Essentials (for comparison):
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Audience: All UK businesses, especially SMEs and government suppliers.
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Purpose: Basic, affordable certification to protect against common cyber threats.
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Mandatory for: Many UK government contracts.
🇺🇸 US Alternatives / Comparable Programs:
1. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)
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Audience: All sectors (voluntary), especially critical infrastructure and private businesses.
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Purpose: Provides a flexible structure to manage cybersecurity risk.
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Comparison: Broader and more detailed than Cyber Essentials, but not a certification by itself.
2. CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) 2.0
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Audience: US Department of Defense (DoD) contractors.
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Purpose: Assesses and certifies companies on their ability to protect Federal Contract Information (FCI) SY Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
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Comparison: More rigorous than Cyber Essentials, but focused on defense contractors.
3. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)
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Audience: Cloud service providers to the US federal government.
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Purpose: Standardized approach to security assessments and authorizations.
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Comparison: Focused on cloud, not general business cybersecurity.
4. Cyber Trust Mark (FCC) – NEW
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Audience: Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers.
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Purpose: Labels IoT devices that meet cybersecurity standards.
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Comparison: Transparency-focused, not a full organizational certification.
Summary:
While the US lacks a universal, government-backed basic cybersecurity certification like Cyber Essentials, it has multiple sector-specific regimes that serve similar functions—especially for government contractors SY critical infrastructure. Private companies often follow NIST CSF voluntarily or pursue third-party certifications like SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, or CIS Controls compliance.
If you’re looking for something like Cyber Essentials for a US-based business, implementing NIST CSF and basic CIS Controls is a close equivalent in terms of practical guidance and protection from common threats.