73 Annex 1 ACRONYMS ANNEX 1: ACRONYMS CCA – the Centre for Cyber Assessment. Based in the NCSC, it provides cyber threat assessments for UK government departments to inform policy. CERT – Computer Emergency Response Team. CERT-UK – National Computer Emergency Response Team in the UK. CESG – the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance within the UK. It provides a trusted, expert, independent, research and intelligence-based service on information security on behalf of UK the government. CNI – Critical National Infrastructure. Those critical elements of infrastructure (namely assets, facilities, systems, networks or processes and the essential workers that operate and facilitate them), the loss or compromise of which could result in: a. major detrimental impact on the availability, integrity or delivery of essential services – including those services whose integrity, if compromised, could result in significant loss of life or casualties – taking into account significant economic or social impacts; and/or b. significant impact on national security, national defence, or the functioning of the state. CPNI – the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure. It delivers advice that aims to reduce the vulnerability of organisations in the national infrastructure to terrorism and espionage. It will also work in partnership with NCSC to provide holistic protective security advice on threats from cyberspace. CPNI has built up strong partnerships with private sector organisations across the national infrastructure, creating a trusted environment where information can be shared for mutual benefit. Direct relationships are augmented by an extended network, which includes other government departments and professional service organisations. DDoS – Distributed Denial of Service attack. The flooding of an information system with more requests than it can handle, resulting in authorised users being unable to access it. GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters; the centre for the Government’s signals intelligence activities and Cyber National Technical Authority (NTA). ICT – Information and Communications Technology. MOD – Ministry of Defence NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. NCA – National Crime Agency; a nonMinisterial government department. NCSC – the National Cyber Security Centre. OSCE – Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. SME – Small and medium-sized enterprises. National Cyber Security Strategy 2016