--- title: "Mapping Offline Secure Storage to the NCSC Prin… | Firevault" url: https://fire-vault.com/learn/whitepapers/ncsc-ransomware-resistant-backups description: "A control-by-control mapping of Firevault Offline Secure Storage against the NCSC guidance on ransomware-resistant backups, written for UK government, CNI…" lang: en-GB --- whitepaper · 27 July 2026 # Mapping Offline Secure Storage to the NCSC Principles for Ransomware-Resistant Backups A control-by-control mapping of Firevault Offline Secure Storage against the NCSC guidance on ransomware-resistant backups, written for UK government, CNI operators and regulated enterprises. Image: Mark Fermor (https://fire-vault.com/assets/mark-fermor-DWFWqeWL.jpg) Mark Fermor CTO, CMO & Founder, Firevault 2 min read Share Share on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffire-vault.com%2Flearn%2Fwhitepapers%2Fncsc-ransomware-resistant-backups Share on X: https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffire-vault.com%2Flearn%2Fwhitepapers%2Fncsc-ransomware-resistant-backups&text=Mapping%20Offline%20Secure%20Storage%20to%20the%20NCSC%20Principles%20for%20Ransomware-Resistant%20Backups%0A%0AA%20control-by-control%20mapping%20of%20Firevault%20Offline%20Secure%20Storage%20against%20the%20NCSC%20guidance%20on%20ransomware-resistant%20backups%2C%20written%20for%20UK%20government%2C%20CNI%20operators%20and%20regulated%20enterprises. Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ffire-vault.com%2Flearn%2Fwhitepapers%2Fncsc-ransomware-resistant-backups Image: Mapping Offline Secure Storage to the NCSC Principles for Ransomware-Resistant Backups (https://zomvctmqpgirvjnvawlz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/whitepapers%2Fncsc-ransomware-resistant-backups.jpg) **Firevault editorial illustration.** The physical control only matters when it changes the outcome of a real incident. whitepaper The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) publishes clear, non-negotiable guidance on how UK organisations should design backups that survive a ransomware attack (https://fire-vault.com/threats/ransomware). The guidance emphasises that at least one backup copy must be genuinely offline and out of reach of an adversary who has taken control of the production estate. This whitepaper maps every NCSC principle for ransomware-resistant backups against Firevault Offline Secure Storage (https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage) (OSS). It is written for accounting officers, senior information risk owners (SIROs), CISOs, and heads of resilience inside UK central and local government, the NHS, defence, critical national infrastructure, and regulated financial and legal services firms. Principle 1 - Backups should be resilient to destructive action. OSS holds gold-copy records inside a Firevault bunker with no persistent network path from production. An attacker who compromises Active Directory, a hypervisor, or a cloud tenant cannot reach, encrypt, or delete the offline copy. Principle 2 - At least one backup should be offline, off-site and offline-capable. Every OSS deployment satisfies this by design. Access is only possible during scheduled, identity-verified windows via the LUV (Locked User Vault) interface. Outside those windows the media is physically disconnected. Principle 3 - Backups should have a separate identity, authentication and authorisation model. OSS never reuses production identity. Access is bound to hardware-backed passkeys, sanctioned devices, and a separate authorisation flow that cannot be pivoted to from a compromised corporate SSO. Principle 4 - Backups should be regularly tested. OSS ships with structured restore rehearsals, evidence packs suitable for NIS Regulations, DORA and PRA SS1/21 audit, and CAF-aligned reporting for Objectives A to D. Principle 5 - Backups should be monitored, but monitoring must not create an attack path. OSS telemetry is one-way. Health and capacity signals leave the bunker; nothing writeable enters it from the corporate network. The paper also covers the 3-2-1-1-0 rule, the difference between immutable cloud backups and a physical air gap (https://fire-vault.com/how-it-works/offline-secure-storage), procurement notes for G-Cloud and DPS frameworks, and a readiness checklist you can take to your next board or audit committee. Request access below to receive the full PDF. ## Download this whitepaper Free access with registration GDPR compliant No spam About the author ### Mark Fermor Mark Fermor on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mfermor) CTO, CMO & Founder Founder of Firevault, focused on offline secure storage and protecting individuals and businesses from fraud, fines, loss and damage. Speaker, owner and advisor. Where Firevault fits ## A recovery copy an attacker cannot reach Offline Secure Storage® keeps a clean copy of your data on hardware that is physically disconnected, so backup and recovery do not depend on systems an intruder can touch. Get started: https://fire-vault.com/get-started Talk to the team: https://fire-vault.com/demo **Hardware**Your copy sits on dedicated encrypted hardware **Disconnect**Offline by default, connected only when you say so **Recovery**A known-clean copy to rebuild from, on your timetable **Location**Held in a secure Firevault Bunker More research ## Other whitepapers playbook ### A Control Blueprint for Aerospace & Aviation An engineering blueprint for communication pathways, operational states, remote access, rapid isolation and assured recovery across aerospace and aviation. https://fire-vault.com/learn/whitepapers/aerospace-playbook whitepaper ### Firevault Legal Playbook: Offline Secure Storage for Legal Firms https://fire-vault.com/learn/whitepapers/legal-playbook Related Reading ## You may also find these useful Breach Analysis ### Dyfed-Powys Police confirms cyber attack as staff information may have been compromised Dyfed-Powys Police has confirmed that a cyber attack identified on 14 September disrupted non-emergency systems and may have exposed staff information. The force says it has found no evidence that public data was accessed. 25 Sept 2026 3 min https://fire-vault.com/news/dyfed-powys-police-cyber-attack-2026 Industry Insight ### Morgan Stanley email error exposed an internal list of more than 100 potential deals A senior banker accidentally sent clients an internal deal-pipeline attachment. The incident was not a cyberattack, but it shows how one ordinary email can turn confidential working information into a market-integrity and client-trust problem. 25 Sept 2026 6 min https://fire-vault.com/news/morgan-stanley-email-error-deal-list-2026 Threat Analysis ### Fake job interviews infected 30,000 devices, FBI-led advisory says A joint FBI-led advisory says North Korean WaterPlum actors used fake technical interviews and coding tests to infect at least 30,000 devices in more than 100 countries. 25 Sept 2026 5 min https://fire-vault.com/news/waterplum-contagious-interview-30000-devices-2026 ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization", "name": "Firevault", "legalName": "Firevault Limited", "url": "https://fire-vault.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/logo.png", "width": 200, "height": 60 }, "foundingDate": "2025-03", "description": "Protect what matters with Offline Secure Storage and control what moves with Control by Firevault. 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