UK Cyber Security Council

The NCSC’s mission is to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. This requires a world class cyber workforce with the skills, expertise and professional standards to meet evolving threats. The NCSC fully supports the UK Cyber Security Council’s role in defining those standards, assuring capability, and maintaining a trusted register of qualified practitioners

NCSC CEO Dr Richard Horne

The UK Cyber Security Council is the UK’s recognised professional body for the cyber security profession.

Established by Royal Charter to uphold standards, professionalism, and public trust across the sector, it supports the Government’s mission to make the UK the safest place to live and work online by developing and promoting nationally recognised benchmarks for cyber expertise and conduct.

The Council sets and maintains the standard for professional competence and commitment within the cyber security profession. It defines the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of cyber security professionals, ensuring consistency and quality across a rapidly evolving field. By doing so, the Council not only helps employers and organisations identify trusted professionals, but also strengthens the credibility of the profession as a whole.

Central to this is the Council’s framework of professional titles and specialisms. Cyber security professionals can gain recognition across clearly defined career pathways, with specialisms including Cyber Security Governance and Risk Management, Security Testing, Audit and Assurance, and Incident Response. This structured approach enables professionals to demonstrate expertise in specific domains while contributing to a broader professional identity.

The Council awards four progressive professional titles:

• Associate
• Practitioner
• Principal
• Chartered

Each level reflects increasing expertise, responsibility, and professional maturity. Chartered Cyber Security Professional represents the highest level of recognition, aligning cyber security with other established professions, such as engineering, law, and accountancy.

The Council maintains a public register of professionally registered cyber security practitioners.

The NCSC delivers a range of schemes, assuring industry providers to deliver services that meet standards set by the NCSC, helping organisations prevent, detect and respond to cyber security incidents. 

Where these schemes require individuals to hold professional recognition, the NCSC uses the UK Cyber Security Council’s professional titles and specialism framework to define the expected levels of competence and expertise for key practitioners delivering those services.

The Council has a central role in strengthening the UK’s professional ecosystem. By ensuring a more consistent and future-proof framework for professional recognition, it can drive improvements in standards, support workforce development, and promote excellence.