CREST awarded license for professional titles

We are delighted to announced that we have awarded Licensed Body status to CREST International (“CREST”) for the Security Testing specialism. This provides an additional opportunity for cyber professionals to attain Chartered and Principal professional titles for security testing.

CREST, the international not-for-profit representing the cyber security industry, has engaged extensively with the Council, its members and the community to develop innovative ways to assess individuals against the Council’s Standard of Professional Competence and Commitment. This has involved piloting and rigorously assessing a method that no longer requires an interview for most applicants in security testing.

The addition of CREST as a Licensed Body for the Security Testing specialism is part of the Council’s continuing work to introduce a universally recognised professional standard across the cyber industry. Individuals are now able to choose CREST or The Cyber Scheme for their professional title application, regardless of where they obtained their cyber certification.

As announced at NCSC’s flagship event CyberUK in May 2024, HM Government has pledged support for embedding the Council’s standard across its cyber workforce by 2025. The Government Security Career Framework and government cyber training will be mapped to the Council’s professional titles, in turn enabling government staff to be recognised as highly skilled professionals and to join a community of supportive, committed professionals.

More information about CREST’s professional title application process can be found here.

Nick Benson, Chief Executive Officer of CREST, said: “CREST is delighted to be able to award some of the first professional titles in cyber anywhere in the world. Supporting the professionalisation of the cyber workforce globally is a high priority for CREST. We see real momentum by national authorities in numerous countries to tackle this as a key building block for sector maturity, growth, effective cross-border work and the free movement of talent. Leading the way in a challenging field is never easy, but we’re very proud of what the Council and CREST have been able to create for our talented community.”

Our Acting CEO, Dr Claudia Natanson MBE, said: “The UK Cyber Security Council is delighted to welcome CREST as a licensee in Security Testing. CREST is joining the Council in delivering a ground-breaking program, the first of its kind worldwide for the cyber security profession, and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration.”

You can find out more about the routes in to professional registration here.