Cyber Security Apprentice

Summary

Start your career as a Cyber Security Apprentice! Work with some of the best tech experts in the industry and get hands-on experience with cutting-edge Cisco technology. You’ll dive into a variety of projects, from quick setups for private companies to large-scale university upgrades, working remotely and on client sites.

Annual wage: £22,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Cyber security technologist (2021) (level 4)
Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30.
40 hours a week
Possible start date: Monday 28 October
Duration: 2 Years 4 Months
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

Focus on network security, all while earning your Cisco certification. This is a great chance to learn, grow, and make an impact in a highly sought-after role in a rapidly growing specialisation.

The Cyber Security Apprentice will spend time working in technical support as well as deployment.

In relation to deployment and under the guidance of a Senior Cyber Security Engineer, the Cyber Security Apprentice will:

Assist with pre-staging services, physically connecting equipment and applying baseline template configurations
Visit client site and carry out hands-on tasks to physically deploy and connect Cyber Security equipment under instruction
Record data and information for necessary documentation
Perform software updates and upgrades
Assist with resolution of Cisco support cases with Technical Assistance Centre (TAC)
Learn and apply software development and scripting skills for automation (e.g. Python)
Research deployment guides, field notices, and bug issues

In relation to technical support and under the guidance of a Senior Engineer, the Cyber Security Apprentice will:

Monitor for client incidents, events, and problems using specialist monitoring tools
Log and triage client support cases as first line, based on client service level agreements (SLA)
Apply best practice processes and procedures for handling client inbound cases
Record and progress support cases through our NetSuite case management platform
Provide case management support in relation to Cisco TAC cases
Use our in-house lab to simulate and replicate issues
Run reporting tools and create reports for clients as part of our managed service

Where you’ll work

99 Park Drive

Milton Park, Milton

Abingdon

OX14 4RY

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

ABINGDON AND WITNEY COLLEGE

Your training course

Cyber security technologist (2021) (level 4)

Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)

Course contents

Discover vulnerabilities in a system by using a mix of research and practical exploration

Analyse and evaluate security threats and hazards to a system or service or processes. Use relevant external source of threat intelligence or advice (e.g. National Cyber Security Centre) Combine different sources to create an enriched view of cyber threats and hazards

Research and investigate common attack techniques and relate these to normal and observed digital system behaviour and recommend how to defend against them. Interpret and demonstrate use of external source of vulnerabilities (e.g. OWASP, intelligence sharing initiatives, open source)

Undertake security risk assessments for simple systems without direct supervision and propose basic remediation advice in the context of the employer.

Source and analyse security cases and describe what threats, vulnerability or risks are mitigated and identify any residual areas of concern.

Analyse employer or customer requirements to derive security objectives and taking account of the threats and overall context develop a security case which sets out the proposed security measures in the context with reasoned justification

Identify and follow organisational policies and standards for information and cyber security and operate according to service level agreements or other defined performance targets.

Configure, deploy and use computer, digital network and cyber security technology.

Recommend improvements to the cyber security posture of an employer or customer based on research into future potential cyber threats and considering threat trends.

Write program code or scripts to meet a given design requirement in accordance with employers' coding standards

Identify cyber security threats relevant to a defined context

Accurately, objectively and concisely record and report the appropriate cyber security information, including in written reports within a structure or template provided.

Design, build, test and troubleshoot a network incorporating more than one subnet with static and dynamic routes, to a given design requirement without supervision. Provide evidence that the system meets the design requirement.

Analyse security requirements given (functional and non-functional security requirements that may be presented in a security case) against other design requirements (e.g. usability, cost, size, weight, power, heat, supportability etc.) for a given system or product. Identify conflicting requirements and propose, with reasoning, resolution through appropriate trade-offs.

Design and build, systems in accordance with a security case within broad but generally well-defined parameters. This should include selection and configuration of typical security hardware and software components. Provide evidence that the system has properly implemented the security controls required by the security case

Design systems employing encryption to meet defined security objectives. Develop and implement a plan for managing the associated encryption keys for the given scenario or system.

Use tools, techniques and processes to actively prevent breaches to digital system security.

Configure digital system monitoring and analysis tools (e.g. SIEM tools), taking account of threat & vulnerability intelligence, indicators of compromise.

Conduct cyber-risk assessments against an externally (market) recognised cyber security standard using a recognised risk assessment methodology.

Develop information security policies or processes to address a set of identified risks, for example from security audit recommendations.

Develop information security policies within a defined scope to take account of legislation and regulation relevant to cyber security.

Take an active part in a security audits against recognised cyber security standards, undertake gap analysis and make recommendations for remediation..

Develop plans for local business continuity for approval within defined governance arrangements for business continuity.

Assess security culture using a recognised approach.

Design and implement a simple ‘security awareness’ campaign to address a specific aspect of a security culture.

Develop plans for incident response for approval within defined governance arrangements for incident response.

Integrate and correlate information from various sources (including log files from different sources, digital system monitoring tools, Secure Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, access control systems, physical security systems) and compare to known threat and vulnerability data to form a judgement based on evidence with reasoning that the anomaly represents a digital system security breach

Recognise anomalies in observed digital system data structures (including by inspection of network packet data structures) and digital system behaviours (including by inspection of protocol behaviours) and by inspection of log files and by investigation of alerts raised by automated tools including SIEM tools.

Undertake root cause analysis of events and make recommendations to reduce false positives and false negatives.

Manage local response to non-major incidents in accordance with a defined procedure.