Section one: Moving from Competence to Excellence

What does competence look like in this area? 

The cyber security field requires a combination of technical expertise, operational efficiency, best practices and effective communication to ensure secure system operation and maintenance. 

Technical competence: the student possesses a deep understanding of operating systems, network architecture, security tools, configuration and hardening skills and is proficient in patch management and ensuring systems are up-to-date with the latest security updates. 

Operational efficiency: the student is proficient in monitoring unusual activity, analysing logs, identifying compromise indicators, detecting and responding to incidents, using forensic techniques, implementing robust backup solutions and executing disaster recovery plans. 

Adherence to best practices and compliance: the student is proficient in implementing security frameworks, risk management, and documentation, ensuring systems comply with organisational policies and regulatory requirements, conducting thorough risk assessments and generating actionable reports for stakeholders. 

Soft skills: actively addresses security incidents, innovates, and adapts to emerging threats, continuously improving through professional development and a proactive approach to learning and applying new measures. 

What does excellence look like in this area?  

Excellence in cyber security involves mastering advanced skills, implementing cutting-edge technologies and demonstrating leadership in secure system operation and maintenance. 

Advanced technical mastery: the student possesses extensive knowledge of operating systems and network configurations, is proficient in deploying and managing advanced security tools, is skilled in using SIEM tools for real-time monitoring and threat detection and masters automated configuration management tools. 

Superior operational capabilities: the student utilises advanced monitoring tools and threat intelligence platforms to identify and mitigate threats, integrates them into security operations, leads expert incident response and forensic investigations, designs reliable backup solutions, and implements advanced disaster recovery plans. 

Leadership in best practices and compliance: the student contributes to industry security standards development, ensures compliance with regulations, and prepares for future changes. They conduct comprehensive risk assessments, develop strategic mitigation plans, and maintain detailed documentation of security policies and procedures. 

Advanced soft skills and continuous improvement: the student applies innovative solutions to complex security challenges, continuously assesses and refines these methods and is committed to lifelong learning through advanced certifications and active participation in the cyber security community. 

What does competence look like in this area  

Competence in investigation and digital forensics requires technical skills, methodical procedures, and a deep understanding of legal and ethical considerations. 

Technical competence: 

The student possesses proficiency in forensic tools, data acquisition techniques, file systems, network forensics, malware analysis and network traffic analysis. They are proficient in analysing file systems, recovering deleted files, tracing network-based attacks and using tools like Wireshark, tcpdump, and NetworkMiner for packet analysis. 

Methodical procedures: 

The student possesses expertise in evidence handling, incident response and documentation, as well as a strong understanding of legal requirements and incident response frameworks. They are proficient in maintaining a chain of custody, providing forensic support and writing comprehensive reports. 

Legal and ethical considerations: 

Understanding legal frameworks, jurisdictional issues and ethical conduct is crucial in digital forensics, ensuring objectivity and impartiality in analysis and reporting. 

Communication and collaboration: 

Effective communication, team collaboration and expert testimony are essential skills for presenting complex technical findings to non-technical stakeholders and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. 

What does excellence look like in this area?  

Excellence in investigation and digital forensics, requires a learner to have mastered fundamental skills, including demonstrating advanced capabilities, leadership qualities and continuously innovating. 

Advanced technical expertise: 

The student possesses proficiency in various forensic tools, advanced data acquisition techniques, and a deep understanding of complex systems. They can handle advanced scenarios like cloud and IoT forensics. They also have advanced skills in malware analysis and custom tool development. 

Methodological excellence: 

The student demonstrates rigorous evidence handling protocols, employs advanced evidence integrity techniques, leads incident response efforts and produces comprehensive forensic reports. They are adept at coordinating and executing investigations, refining response plans and tailoring reports to different audiences. 

Legal and ethical leadership: 

Expert knowledge of legal frameworks, credible court testimony and upholding ethical conduct are key qualities of a digital forensics professional who guides junior analysts in ethical practices. 

Communication and influence: 

Exceptional communication skills, including articulating complex technical concepts, providing expert analysis and leading cross-functional teams in forensic investigations are crucial for effective decision-making and policy development.