GovWire

For cyber security we recommend candidates and political staff read:

1. Defending Democracy - Cyber Security a collection of National Cyber Security Centre material which brings together expanded guidance to raise awareness of the cyber threats to democratic processes, institutions, and the people involved in them.

2. Cyber Guidance for High-Risk Individuals - advice from the National Cyber Security Centre on how individuals can protect their accounts and devices.

3. Guidance for Political Organisations - guidance outlining the cyber threat to UK political organisations and sets out measures to prevent successful attacks.?

4. Phishing Attacks - Defending your Organisation Advice from the National Cyber Security Centre on protecting your organisation from email phishing attacks.

5. Social Media Security Information for Candidates - guidance from social media platforms on how to secure your account and report incidents of online abuse.to secure your account and report incidents of online abuse.

For protective security we recommend candidates and political staff read:

6. Defending Democracy (npsa.gov.uk) - a collection of National Protective Security Authority material which brings together expanded guidance to raise awareness of protective security threats for those involved in elections. This includes guidance on insider risk, social engineering, and digital footprint.

7. Protective Security Guidance for High-Risk Individuals - advice and guidance on how individuals can protect themselves, staff and family from a range of threats to personal safety and security.

8. Joint Guidance on Intimidation for Candidates in Elections - guidance from The National Police Chiefs Council, Crown Prosecution Service and the Electoral Commission for candidates and campaigners, to help you understand when behaviour goes beyond political debate and may be unlawful.

9. The Blue Book: A Guide to Personal Security - advice from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office for how to stay safe at home, at work, on-the move and online.

10. Think Before You Link (TBYL) - an app developed by the National Protective Security Authority to help users of social media and professional networking sites better identify the hallmarks of fake profiles used by state and other malicious actors.

11. My Digital Footprint - guidance from the National Protective Security Authority on how individuals can be more mindful of their digital footprint

For information security we recommend candidates, political staff and electoral staff read:

12. Online disinformation and AI threat guidance for electoral candidates and officials - guidance outlines mitigations to disrupt the impact of disinformation campaigns, which are increasingly being created using generative AI.

We recommend Returning Officers and local authority staff read:

13. Cyber Guidance for Organisations Coordinating Elections - advice for organisations involved in administering UK elections on good cyber security practices to protect systems and data.

14. Protective Security Guidance for Organisations Coordinating Elections - state threats guidance from the National Protective Security Authority. This can be accessed on gov.uk by anyone with a gov.uk email address or on the National Protective Securitys extranet.

15. Guidance for Returning Officers - The Electoral Commissions guidance for Returning Officers split by countries of the United Kingdom, and type of election.

16. Election Security for Polling Stations and Counting Venues - guidance to assist Returning Officers develop a security plan to avoid major disruption to the electoral process.

General Guidance for Candidates to Stand for Election

• Local Authority mayoral elections in England
• Combined Authority mayoral elections in England
• Local Elections in England
• Parish council elections in England
• UK Parliamentary Elections
• By Elections
• Police Crime Commissioner Elections
• Greater London Authority Elections

Departmental co-owners

• Cabinet Office
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
• National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC)
• The Electoral Commission
• The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• College of Policing
• National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)
• Counter Terrorism Policing
• National Protective Security Authority (NPSA)
• The UK National Authority for Counter-Eavesdropping (UKNACE)
• Home Office