Terms and Conditions

This page (taken with the documents and pages it refers to) tells you the terms of use (the "terms and conditions") which you agree to when you use the www.ncsc.gov.uk website, certain websites operated by or on behalf of the NCSC, and the content made available on those websites (together the "Websites").

General terms of use

By using the Websites, you indicate that you accept these Terms and Conditions and that you agree to abide by them. If you do not agree to these Terms and Conditions, please refrain from using the Websites.

You agree to use the Websites only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of, the Websites by any third party. Additionally, you must not misuse the Websites by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic (s) on which they are stored, or any server, computer or database connected to the Websites. You must not attack the Websites via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack. Any breach of this provision may be reported to the relevant law enforcement authorities and where necessary we will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing your identity to them.

Use of Content

Intended use of advice and guidance

The National Cyber Security Centre (the 'NCSC') provides advice and assistance on cyber security in support of the government of the United Kingdom, the armed forces of the Government of the United Kingdom, the armed forces of the Crown, and other persons and orgranisations, in each case in accordance with its functions under the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Unless otherwise indicated, the advice and guidance material hosted on the Websites is provided and intended for use by this audience, and is published on the Websites in order that the intended recipients can have easy access to the material.

Crown copyright

The material on the Websites is, unless stated otherwise, subject to Crown copyright. Unless we indicate that certain Crown copyright content may be available for use under a different arrangement, you may use or reuse the content published on the Websites without prior arrangement, you may use or reuse the content published on the Websites without prior permission but must adhere to and accept the terms of the Open Government License for public sector information. You must acknowledge the source of the content and include a link to the Open Government License wherever possible. Authorisation to reproduce a third party's copyright material must be obtained from the copyright holders concerned.

Logos

You are not permitted to use logos displayed on the Websites under the terms of the Open Government License, and so requests for the permission to use logos should be directed to the Enquiries team using the Contact Us form. Please tell us how and why you wish to use the logo, and include your name, address, telephone and fax numbers and your email address with your request.

Hyperlinks

The NCSC encourages users to establish hypertext links to the Websites, however we don't give you permission to suggest that your website is associated with, or endorsed by, the NCSC.

Where the Websites contain links to the other websites then these links are provided for your information only. Unless explicitly stated , linking should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. Where third parties reproduce our information on our websites or applications, those websites or application may use versions of our information that has been edited or cached. The most up-to-date version of our information will always be that available on the Websites. We don't provide any guarantees, conditions or warranties as to the accuracy of any such third-party products and do not accept liability for loss or damage incurred by users of such third-party products under and circumstances.

Virus Protection

Whilst we check and test material at all stages of production, you must take your own precautions to ensure that the processes which you employ for accessing the Websites fo not expose you to the risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your own computer system. It is always wise for you to run an antivirus program on all material downloaded from the Internet. We cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, disruption or damage to your data or your computer system which may occur whilst using material derived from the Websites.

Privacy Statement

We collect and process information about you in accordance with our Privacy Policy and our Cookie Policy. By using the Websites, you agree to us collecting such information and confirm that any data provided by you is accurate.

The privacy statement only covers the Websites and does not cover links within the Websites to other websites not operated by or on the behalf of NCSC.

Disclaimer

The NCSC does not provide any guarantees, conditions or warranties as to the accuracy of the information on the Websites. We do not warrant that the functions contained in the material on the Websites will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Websites or the server(s) that make them available are free of viruses or represent the full functionality, accuracy and reliability of the material.

In addition, the advice and guidance material made available on the Websites is not mandatory is provided on an 'as is' basis without warranty as to its accuracy or suitability, is not intended to cover all scenarios and is not tailored to a particular set of facts or circumstances, or a specific organisation or individual. You should seek to ensure that you obtain specific advice that is tailored to their particular facts or circumstances. As such, the NCSC shall not be liable for loss or damage that may come from use of the Websites including:

  • any direct, indirect or consequential losses; and/or
  • any loss or damage caused by civil wrongs ('tort', including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise

This applies if the loss or damage was foreseeable, arose in the normal course of things or you advised the NCSC that it might happen.

This includes (but is not limited to) loss of:

  • income or revenue;
  • any direct, indirect or consequential losses; and/or
  • business;
  • profit or contracts;
  • opportunity;
  • anticipated savings;
  • data;
  • goodwill;
  • tangible property; and/or
  • intangible property, including loss corrupting or damage to any computer system.

It also includes wasted management or office time and loss or damage incurred in connection with the use, inability to use, or results of the use of the Websites, any websites linked to them and any materials posted on them.

This does not affect our liability for death or personal injury arising from our negligence, nor our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation, nor any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Disputes

NSCS may elect to have any claims or disputes with you resolved by way of confidential arbitration in front of a single arbitrator who shall be a Queen's Counsel agreed by the parties or, failing agreement, appointed by the chairman of the Commercial Bar Association.

Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and constructed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Subject to the above paragraph 'Disputes', any dispute arising under these Terms and Conditions or your use of the Websites (whether it be contractual or non- contractual), will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 'FOIA' allows members of the public to request access to information held by certain public authorities. In legal terms, the NCSC (being a part of GCHQ) is not subject to FOIA, and therefore will not process FOIA requests. For further information on FOIA please refer to the Information Commissioner's Office.

General

There may be legal notices elsewhere on the Websites that relate to how you use the site. We're not liable if we fail to comply with these terms and conditions because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control. We might decide not to exercise or enforce any right available to use under these terms and conditions. We can always decide to exercise or enforce that right at a later date. Doing this once will not mean we automatically waive the right on any other occasion. If any of these terms and conditions are held to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal for any reason, the remaining terms and conditions will still apply.

Revision of these terms

We may not at any time revise these Terms and Conditions without notice. Please check these Terms and Conditions regularly, as continued use of the Websites after a change has been made is your acceptance of the change. You'll agree to any changes if you continue to use the Websites after the Terms and Conditions have been updated.

This page was last updated on 15/11/2021.