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Assurance scheme

Cyber Adversary Simulation (CyAS)

Companies assured under the Cyber Adversary Simulation scheme deliver services to test an organisation’s cyber resilience, including their ability to prevent, detect and respond to simulated cyber attacks.

Information for providers

About the scheme

The CyAS scheme assures providers against the NCSC standard for cyber adversary simulation.

Providers must demonstrate that they can plan, manage and deliver engagements in accordance with the NCSC methodology as defined in the scheme Standard.

The NCSC approach focuses on testing an organisation's ability to withstand realistic attacks. Rather than reproducing specific threat actors or pre-defined attack scenarios, engagements are designed around achieving agreed objectives that reflect the customer's environment, risks and security posture.

Providers are expected to:

  • carry out their own reconnaissance and planning activities
  • develop testing approaches tailored to each customer
  • maintain appropriate tools, capabilities and expertise
  • assess an organisation's ability to prevent, detect and respond to attacks
  • produce high-quality reporting and recommendations

Joining the scheme

Applications to join the scheme are currently closed while we complete and evaluate the initial MVP phase.

We expect the MVP phase to run for approximately 18 months. Future opportunities to join the scheme will be published on this website.

If you are interested in joining the scheme when applications reopen, we recommend that you:

  1. Review the CyAS Standard.
  2. Review the Working Practices Document.
  3. Assess your ability to meet the scheme requirements.
  4. Gather evidence of previous adversary simulation engagements that align with the standard.

Applicants will need to demonstrate experience delivering full-spectrum cyber adversary simulation engagements and producing reports that meet the requirements of the CyAS standard.

Feedback

At the NCSC, we are taking action to remove artificial barriers to entry to all of our Schemes. So, if you spot something which you think unfairly prevents you from applying, please let us know.