Overview

Cyber Stars (Critical National Infrastructure)

Cyber Stars is the first education and awareness programme with an official qualification in cyber security awareness for those working within Critical National Infrastructure. As the cyber threats to CNI continue to increase and evolve it is essential that those with access to and responsibility for keeping Operational Technology secure, to fully understand cyber security threats within the relevant and specific context. Generic IT based cyber awareness training often misses the requirement for those working in more operational technology roles and our curriculum has been developed with leading providers of CNI in the United Kingdom to ensure complete relevance to those working in role. Cyber Stars CNI curriculums are specific to individual sector risks and support NIST Directive requirements associated with cyber security awareness within CNI.

Cyber Stars training has been delivered successfully in over 30 countries and over 250,000 individuals have participated in one of our training programmes. Each Cyber Stars course is bespoke, as sector and organisational threats are often subtly different. This impacts our curriculum to ensure it is relevant and provides actionable behavioural changes that will make a difference to both the personal and corporate environment. Threat types used and case studies included in the programme will always be relevant to sector and ensure increased levels of engagement through learner recognition of relevance.

Cyber Stars Assessment

The Cyber Stars assessment is undertaken directly with our partner IntQual, and managed independently outside of QA, due to its OFQUAL regulation.

Contact Cyber@intqual-pro.com for any assessment related queries.

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Prerequisites

No Prerequisites.

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Delegates will learn how to

Regardless of prior knowledge and exposure to cyber security threats, the programmes focus specifically on user behaviour, how to identify, mitigate and effectively respond to cyber threat in both a personal and working environment.

Key learning topics include:

  • The Scale and Evolution of Cyber Threat
  • Threat Actors and Motivations
  • Threat Techniques (Social Engineering, Malware, Network Attack, Physical Access)
  • Home and Mobile Working Threats (Wifi, VPN, Encryption, USB, password security)
  • Social Media Safety (Digital footprint leakage and protection)
  • Incident Response and Business Continuity (in scoping with organisation
  • for messaging)
  • Supply Chain Threat (if relevant to business model)
  • Policy Development and Implementation (in scoping with organisation for messaging)
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Outline

Cyber Stars (Critical National Infrastructure)

Cyber Stars is the first education and awareness programme with an official qualification in cyber security awareness for those working within Critical National Infrastructre. As the cyber threats to CNI continue to increase and evolve it is essential that those with access to and responsibility for keeping Operational Technology secure, to fully understand cyber security threats within the relevant and specific context. Generic IT based cyber awareness training often misses the requirement for those working in more operational technology roles and our curriculum has been developed with leading providers of CNI in the United Kingdom to ensure complete relevance to those working in role. Cyber Stars CNI curriculums are specific to individual sector risks and support NIST Directive requirements associated with cyber security awareness within CNI.

Topics covered:

  • Defining the difference between IT and OT
  • Evolution of cyber threats
  • Threat groups (inc insider threat)
  • Defining vulnerabilities (regular and zero-day)
  • OT Cyber risk assessment
  • Vulnerability identification and cyber attack chain
  • Social Engineering attacks
  • Network attacks
  • Supply chain and Third Party
  • Systems and Data and the consequences of their loss
  • Compliance and Regulatory Frameworks
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Special Notices

Cyber Stars is the first education and awareness programme with an official qualification in cyber security awareness for those working within Critical National Infrastructre.

The Cyber Stars assessment is undertaken directly with our partner IntQual, and managed independently outside of QA, due to its OFQUAL regulation.

Contact Cyber@intqual-pro.com for any assessment related queries.

Cyber Security learning paths

Want to boost your career in cyber security? Click on the roles below to see QA's learning pathways, specially designed to give you the skills to succeed.

Required Star = Required
Certification = Certification
Application Security
Cloud Security
Information Security Management
Security Risk
Cyber Tech Generalist
DFIR Digital Forensics & Incident Response
Industrial Controls & OT Security
NIST Pathway
OffSec
Privacy Professional
Security Auditor
Secure Coding
Cyber Blue Team
Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing
Emerging Tech Security
Reverse Engineer
Security Architect

Frequently asked questions

See all of our FAQs

How can I create an account on myQA.com?

There are a number of ways to create an account. If you are a self-funder, simply select the "Create account" option on the login page.

If you have been booked onto a course by your company, you will receive a confirmation email. From this email, select "Sign into myQA" and you will be taken to the "Create account" page. Complete all of the details and select "Create account".

If you have the booking number you can also go here and select the "I have a booking number" option. Enter the booking reference and your surname. If the details match, you will be taken to the "Create account" page from where you can enter your details and confirm your account.

Find more answers to frequently asked questions in our FAQs: Bookings & Cancellations page.

How do QA’s virtual classroom courses work?

Our virtual classroom courses allow you to access award-winning classroom training, without leaving your home or office. Our learning professionals are specially trained on how to interact with remote attendees and our remote labs ensure all participants can take part in hands-on exercises wherever they are.

We use the WebEx video conferencing platform by Cisco. Before you book, check that you meet the WebEx system requirements and run a test meeting (more details in the link below) to ensure the software is compatible with your firewall settings. If it doesn’t work, try adjusting your settings or contact your IT department about permitting the website.

Learn more about our Virtual Classrooms.

How do QA’s online courses work?

QA online courses, also commonly known as distance learning courses or elearning courses, take the form of interactive software designed for individual learning, but you will also have access to full support from our subject-matter experts for the duration of your course. When you book a QA online learning course you will receive immediate access to it through our e-learning platform and you can start to learn straight away, from any compatible device. Access to the online learning platform is valid for one year from the booking date.

All courses are built around case studies and presented in an engaging format, which includes storytelling elements, video, audio and humour. Every case study is supported by sample documents and a collection of Knowledge Nuggets that provide more in-depth detail on the wider processes.

Learn more about QA’s online courses.

When will I receive my joining instructions?

Joining instructions for QA courses are sent two weeks prior to the course start date, or immediately if the booking is confirmed within this timeframe. For course bookings made via QA but delivered by a third-party supplier, joining instructions are sent to attendees prior to the training course, but timescales vary depending on each supplier’s terms. Read more FAQs.

When will I receive my certificate?

Certificates of Achievement are issued at the end the course, either as a hard copy or via email. Read more here.

Contact Us

Please contact us for more information