Cyber Security Penetration Tester

Cyber Security Penetration Tester

DEFTEC delivers mission-critical solutions through skillfully delivered services and innovative products. We are inspired by our clients' critical missions and driven to provide the most effective solutions to execute their missions, operational challenges, and requirements. Our dedicated, experienced, and talented employees work closely with our clients to ensure the delivery of exceptional services and products.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a Cyber Security Penetration Tester within the NCSC's Penetration Testing Section, you will play a critical role in safeguarding NATO's digital infrastructure. You will conduct advanced penetration testing, red teaming, and vulnerability assessments across NATO Communication and Information Systems (CIS), simulating real-world cyber threats to evaluate and enhance NATO's cyber resilience. 

NCIA has been established with a view to meeting to the best advantage the collective requirements of some or all NATO nations in the fields of capability delivery and service provision related to Consultation, Command & Control as well as Communications, Information and Cyber Defence functions, thereby also facilitating the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition functions and their associated information exchange.

The NCIA NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is responsible for planning and executing all lifecycle management activities for cyber security. In executing this responsibility, NCSC provides specialist cyber security-related services covering the spectrum of scientific, technical, acquisition, operations, maintenance, and sustainment support, throughout the lifecycle of NATO Information Communications and Technology (ICT).

Within the NCSC, the Assess Branch performs comprehensive vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, security compliance audits and red teaming activities against NATO CIS components throughout their lifecycle and across the NATO CIS footprint, improving its cyber hygiene while contributing to the CIS accreditation, IT change management and cyber incident response and recovery processes. It reports on security shortfalls and provides expertise in support of the mitigation and remediation assistance process. The Section also supports exercises, software development assurance and purple teaming activities.

The Penetration Testing Section manages and conducts tailored penetration testing activities against NATO networks and systems, with the objective to assess the impact of current cyber threats, as well as, their likelihood and difficulty of exploitation, on NATO CIS, a NATO Mission or NATO's cyber defences by emulating an intermediate or advanced cyber adversary. These unique activities are performed in support of accreditation, IT change management and software development assurance throughout the lifecycle of NATO CIS, during NATO exercises and in support of incident handling and recovery.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Being part of the Penetration Testing Section and under the direction of the Team Lead, the Contractor personnel will deliver following services:

• Providing Web, infrastructure and application level penetration testing, including but not limited to COTS software and NOTS/GOTS software (NATO/Government off the Shelf), following clearly defined methodologies.
• Participating in kick-off meetings with stakeholders and technical points of contact in order to identify requirements for testing.
• Following the documented procedures and workflows outlined by the technical leads.
• Attending team meetings if required.
• Writing technical reports in fluent English, following defined templates and Reporting Tools.
• Briefing, at both executive and technical levels, on security reports and testing outcome, including at flag officer level.
• In case of new vulnerabilities detected for COTS software, following the Responsible Disclosure Process and following-up with vendors and stakeholders.
• Providing security design reviews to ensure compliance with NATO policies and directives.
• In co-ordination with the Technical Lead of the Penetration testing team, ensuring proactive collaboration and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Staying abreast of technological developments relevant to the area of work.
• Performing any other duties as may be required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree at a nationally recognized/certified university in a technical subject with substantial Information Technology (IT) content and 3 years post-related experience. As an exception, the lack of a university degree may be compensated for