Articles from The Cyber Scheme
We write regularly on issues that matter to our industry – from filling the talent pipeline to improving diversity and giving technical advice on our exams. Please contact us if you would like to write a guest blog for The Cyber Scheme.

Chartership Application
Application Guidance for Professional Registration – Security Testing Specialism There are three professional registration titles aligned to the Council’s professional standard. These are: Associate – An Associate title is

Becoming a Cyber Advisor
By Peter Lannon, Technical Director – Assure Technical What is a Cyber Advisor? The Cyber Advisor scheme was set up to provide small to

How to Encourage Diversity in Cyber Security
Diversity in cybersecurity means bringing people from unique backgrounds, educational levels and schools of thought into the workplace. A heterogeneous workforce inspires new ideas and

Why We Are Making Our Assessments More Accessible
At The Cyber Scheme we believe everyone should have access to a career in security testing. This was at the forefront of our minds for

The UKCSC and their role in professionalising the Cyber Security industry
Professional Standards and Chartership You will have heard about the UK Cyber Security Council. What is it and why was it brought about? The UK

Professional Registration – a background
Establishing Chartership in the cyber security industry Chartered professions have existed since 1272, chartered status proving a professional’s ability and credibility and providing confidence and
Mind your $@*%& Language!
By Paul Richards – Cyber Security Instructor and Lead Assessor at The Cyber Scheme I was on-site, on an engagement, when I could hear my

Practical Steps to Close Your Cyber Skills Gap
There has been a lot of noise made about the problem of the Cyber Skills Gap, but not masses of coherent exploration of what the

What is Chartership?
The UK cyber security council- what is it and why was it brought about? The UK Cyber Security Council was introduced in March 2021 to

BSides Cheltenham
Our Developer Alex recently attended BSides Cheltenham on behalf of The Cyber Scheme, here is an account of his day there: On the 3rd of

Andy Jones becomes Chair of the Professional Standards Working Group at the UK Cyber Security Council
June 05, 2023 Director of Strategy at The Cyber Scheme, Andy Jones has secured the role of Chair of the Professional Standards Working Group of

A Month of Cyber Advisor
It’s now a month since The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) launched the Cyber Advisor scheme to help smaller organisations achieve key cybersecurity controls and

What to Look for When Choosing a Pen Test Provider
Guest Blog by Zac Amos, Cyber Security Features Writer CISOs must outsource cybersecurity assistance if they need to supplement internal staff or perform specialised tasks

NCSS2023: How to Run a Red Team Without losing Friends and Alienating People
The Cyber Scheme recently attended the National Cyber Security Show in Birmingham, whilst there we attended a talk by Gemma Moore the director and co-founder

Who exactly is The Cyber Scheme?
What does The Cyber Scheme do? What are your core values? Established in 2013, The Cyber Scheme is at the forefront of the security testing

More about Cyber Advisor – what’s in it for you?
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has announced the full launch of its Cyber Advisors scheme to help smaller organisations achieve key cybersecurity controls and
Introducing Cyber Advisor (Cyber Essentials Implementation)
The Cyber Scheme has been licensed as an Assessment Provider by IASME, who are operating the scheme on behalf of the NCSC. Over the next few weeks
Everything you need to know about the VA+ Exam
The VA+ is a comprehensive remote exam that has been developed in conjunction with NCSC and IASME and is a requirement for all Cyber Essentials

Why We Need Neurodiversity in Cybersecurity
Guest Blog by Zachary Amos Technology often provides people with unique opportunities and solutions, and neurodiversity offers much of the same to a workplace. Cybersecurity

How To Upskill Your Cybersecurity Team
Guest Blog by Andrea Collins Cybersecurity preparedness is vital amidst increasing security threats. This is why more and more companies globally have prioritised additional professional

What We Learned At The CyBOK Showcase
By Sean McCormack, Operations Director at The Cyber Scheme I attended the CyBOK Showcase event on the 28th of February at the Science Museum in

How to Think Like a Hacker to Boost Cybersecurity
Guest Blog by Zac Amos, Cyber Security Features Writer Thinking like a hacker is the key to maximising network security. Many people approach cybersecurity from
Cyber Advisor Update
The NCSC invited organisations, including The Cyber Scheme, to help develop a new Cyber Advisor (Cyber Essentials) service by funding the initial 100 Cyber Advisor

Understanding the CSTM Syllabus: Information Gathering
This article highlights the key areas of information gathering you need to understand to pass the CSTM exam. Our full syllabus can be found on our website showing all key areas of knowledge for CSTM. The Cyber Scheme‘s CSTM training maps the CSTM syllabus and will give you the confidence to sit our NCSC-accredited exam knowing the topics and knowledge domains that are likely to come up.

Your IoT Devices Are a Cybersecurity Weak Link
Guest blog by Zac Amos, cyber security features writer Internet of Things (IoT) technology has become indispensable in today’s business world. These technologies include devices,

Understanding the CSTM Syllabus: Networking
This article highlights the key areas of networking you need to understand to pass the CSTM exam. Our full syllabus can be found on our website showing

Why Are There Less Women In Cyber Security?
In 2021 a joint study between the NCSC and KPMG found that women account for only 36% of the cyber security work force in the UK. This is an improvement on the figure from 2020, with the same report finding that women accounted for 31% of the cyber security workforce in the UK.

Understanding CSTM Web Technologies
This article highlights the key areas of web technologies you need to understand to pass the CSTM exam. Our full syllabus can be found on

How Can the Cyber Security Industry Beat Burnout?
When it comes to penetration testers, we often talk about the gap in the market; that we need more people entering the industry whether that’s

Understanding CSTM Web Technologies
This article highlights the key areas of web technologies you need to understand to pass the CSTM exam. Our full syllabus can be found on our website showing all key areas of knowledge for CSTM. The Cyber Scheme‘s CSTM training maps the CSTM syllabus and will give you the confidence to sit our NCSC-accredited exam knowing the topics and knowledge domains that are likely to come up.

Do you need to be technical for a fulfilling career in cyber?
By Sean McCormack, Operations Director for The Cyber Scheme I’ve always admired people who knew exactly what they wanted to do, who followed a very

Understanding the core technical knowledge for CSTM
There are core areas of technical knowledge that need to be understood ready to pass your CSTM exam. Our full syllabus can be found on

Why can’t we help people get into cyber?
I attended the Cyber Pathways event in London on behalf of The Cyber Scheme recently – Emily Kinsella and I spent the day talking to recent graduates,

What can the cyber industry do to be more inclusive of neurodiverse people in the workplace?
In the ever-expanding world of cyber it is important to accommodate those joining the industry, as such there are changes you can make to create

First Impressions of the Cyber Security Industry
When someone brings up the topic of the cyber security industry there is a clear image that springs to mind: the stereotypical hacker in a

How The Cyber Scheme rose to the challenge
Charles White, managing director of The Cyber Scheme’s thoughts on why The Cyber Scheme needed to step up. Few will know that The Cyber Scheme

Failure is an option…
“Thank you for taking your assessment with the Cyber Scheme. Unfortunately, you haven’t been successful on this occasion” Paul Richards, Lead Assessor for the Cyber

Why the cybersecurity skills gap is a threat to business – and what to do about it
By Debi McCormack, Sales and Marketing Director, The Cyber Scheme The demand for cybersecurity skills is on the rise in all sectors, but the supply

Build a Better Hacker
By Paul Richards, Head Of Training & Assessment, The Cyber Scheme Becoming an ethical hacker or penetration tester at practitioner level takes between three and

Want to become a pen tester? The Cyber Scheme is here to help
Our Marketing Director Debi McCormack has been talking to Shona Wright of TechSpark UK about the challenges and initiatives around building a career in ethical hacking. Read the article here

Career pathways for pen testers and ethical hackers
What is commonly known as the cyber security ‘career pathway’ isn’t a pathway at all – it’s currently a bit of a meandering mess through impenetrable standards,

Joint collaboration between APMG and The Cyber Scheme
Press Release July 14 2022 JOINT COLLABORATION: APM GROUP (APMG) AND THE CYBER SCHEME are working together to create exams and accreditation programmes in the
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