Check Team Member Courses

 

Check Team Member Courses

The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) is the only organisation that can confer CHECK Team Leader/Member status on an individual by certifying relevant courses and exams. They were originally set up to help make the UK a safe place to both live and do business in, more securely, with a focus in online security.

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) created NCSC in 2016 specifically to address vital Cybersecurity needs. GCHQ’s job is to keep Britain safe and secure, working with the Secret Intelligence Services MI6 and MI5, from their headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

In todays ever more demanding online world, where new cyber threats are emerging on a daily basis, these government sponsored organisations provide the country with the qualified individuals that it need in order to tackle the hackers head on.

It is also important to realise that these organisations help provide us with qualified professionals that are not just defending the nation form cyber criminals but also from nation state actors. These state-sponsored cyber hackers are likely trained in online espionage tactics and often fully supported by their own government’s in their hacking endeavours. You could call this state of affairs a zero sum game, where only those with enough resources available can effectively defend themselves.

 

Training modules for CHECK team members and leaders

As part of the work at NCSC, they approve examination and training modules that allow students to become certified CHECK Team Members. There are many other exams and training courses available to people experienced in fields such as penetration testing that will enable them to gain the recognised CHECK certifications. CHECK Teams consist of at least one CHECK team leader overseeing CHECK team members that will have already passed any NCSC accredited CREST, Tiger scheme or Cyber Scheme examinations themselves.

Why experienced Penetration Testers are most suitable to become CHECK team leaders or members

Penetration testers are particularly suited to CHECK Team specific courses due to their prior experience in preventing hackers from exploiting IT security vulnerabilities within networks and information systems. They will also normally already have knowledge of modern hacking techniques and exploits; both through experience and by having already attended penetration testing focused courses. Their previous training will likely include CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CREST accredited training courses, CompTIA and CISMP (Certificate in Information Security Management Principles) amongst others.

 

How to join a CHECK team

Potential CHECK team members must already hold relevant qualifications from the CYBER/CREST or TIGER recognised examination bodies.

Potential CHECK team leaders must also have further checks performed on them, including CV’s with employment history, Date Of Birth (DOB), PAYE tax code and references so that their background can be fully checked by training providers offering NCSC approved modules.

Such job roles necessitate keeping hacking skill-sets up to date as possible, which is why workers must attend penetration testing related courses regularly.

 

Exams and Courses focused on CHECK teams

All relevant courses and exams are, as mentioned earlier, certified by NCSC. Modules are run by many different Cyber Security training organisations. To attend a CHECK team leader or member course or to sit an exam, the individual will normally already be an experienced and qualified Penetration Tester. There are many training providers and certified examiners, here we will introduce some of them to you.

 

Check Team Leader and Member qualification

 

1) Cyber Scheme Team Member (CSTM)

CSTM awards certificates that are recognised by NCSC reflecting the fact that the student has achieved the technical standards required for CHECK.

This exam consists of the following elements:-

• Multiple-choice exam, with 100 questions.
• One-hour long written thesis paper covering both the theoretical and practical aspects of the training modules content.
• Two-hour long practical assessment, which will include a penetration-testing scenario. This is a network assault course, examining the student’s practical skills in depth.
• A short 15-30 minute oral examination where students will be expected to discuss their findings during the earlier practical assessment.

2) TIGERSCHEME

There are two levels of qualification provided by Tigerscheme. These are Qualified, for Check Team Member and Senior, for Check Team Leader.

For their Qualified Level, or Check Team Member, the module consists of a written paper, a practical assessment, multiple-choice exam and an interview.

For the Senior Level, or Check Team Leader, there is a written paper, multiple choice exam, 6-hour network assault course and interview. This qualification is only suitable for individuals with several years of practical experience.

 

Skills and Training that CHECK qualified teams need:

• Prior experience performing penetration tests on computer systems, networks or websites. Pen Test Courses can provide up to date skills for this task.
• Experience designing penetration testing tools and techniques.
• Quick identification of the many methods that hackers use, as they become apparent.
• Identification of IT security vulnerabilities and potential exploits in an organisations systems and procedures.
• The ability to concatenate their findings on information security related issues in formal reports.
• Presentation of penetration-testing findings and results to interested parties.
• Isolation of newly discovered IT security flaws. Training of other staff where applicable.
• The ability to develop regular penetration and vulnerability testing processes and procedures.
• Checking that remedial actions are working effectively and blocking hackers and exploits.