Updated The operation behind the UK government’s Cyber Essentials scheme has suffered a breach exposing the email addresses of registered consultancies, it told them today. The scheme’s badges are required by suppliers bidding for “certain sensitive and personal information-handling [government] contracts”. Companies were notified of the problem, which leaves them at greater risk of phishing attack, through an email on Wednesday from Dr Emma Philpott, chief exec at the IASME Consortium, which runs the accreditation.