Accreditation
Accreditation Background
Our accreditation programs are designed to address gaps in existing certification systems, combining technical competency, professional standards, and trustworthiness into one comprehensive assessment.
Background
On Tuesday, 16 November 2021, at its AGM, CREST ANZ announced the launch of its Accredited Best of Breed Penetration Tester (ABPT) program. The CREST ANZ Board had reviewed the range of vendors and qualifications in the penetration testing sector and identified several gaps in the industry’s certification approach.
Industry Gaps and Program Development
The review revealed that existing certifications vary widely in technology coverage, degree of difficulty, delivery format, and the quality of learning and testing. Current certification processes do not assess key factors such as professionalism, on-the-job performance, or trustworthiness. Furthermore, there has been no pathway for highly experienced penetration testers without formal technical certifications to demonstrate competency.
This finding aligned with the 2020 National Cyber Security Strategy recommendation for a more holistic, multi-dimensional approach to accreditation—one based on skills, experience, qualifications, professionalism, and trust. In response, CREST ANZ began work in 2020 to create a program that accredits individual penetration testers (both employees and contractors) against Technical Competency, Professional Competency, and Trust Standards, developed by CREST ANZ members and benchmarked against best practice in other industries.
