CREST CPSA Certification Study Guide

🎓 A comprehensive, exam-aligned study guide for CREST CPSA certification candidates

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📚 About This Guide

This repository contains a professional-grade, comprehensive study guide for the CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) certification. Designed by a PhD researcher in cybersecurity at Newcastle University, this guide bridges the gap between academic knowledge and practical penetration testing frameworks.

🎯 What This Is

• ✅ Exam-Aligned: Covers CPSA Syllabus v2.5 in detail
• ✅ Comprehensive: 10+ chapters covering all major skills
• ✅ Practical: Real-world examples from UK financial services and healthcare contexts
• ✅ Professional: Written by active cybersecurity researchers
• ✅ Open Source: Free for educational use (MIT License)
• ✅ Community-Driven: Feedback and contributions welcome

🚀 What This Isn't

• ❌ Not a replacement for official CREST materials
• ❌ Not a guarantee of exam pass (but significantly improves preparation)
• ❌ Not an official CREST publication
• ❌ Not a substitute for hands-on penetration testing experience

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📖 Contents

Chapter 1: Engagement Lifecycle & Penetration Testing Frameworks ✅ COMPLETE

Skills Covered: A1 (Engagement Lifecycle), A3 (Scoping)
Exam Coverage: 20-25%
Time to Complete: 2-3 hours
Status: ✅ Publication-Ready

What You'll Learn:

• What penetration testing is and why organizations need it
• Business value and technical value of PT assessments
• The CREST three-phase penetration testing programme (Preparation, Testing, Follow-Up)
• Detailed breakdown of all preparation steps (A1-A7)
• Detailed breakdown of all testing steps (B1-B9)
• Detailed breakdown of all follow-up steps (C1-C6)
• Scoping fundamentals and best practices
• Three testing styles: Black Box, Grey Box, White Box
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Legal compliance requirements

Exam Preparation Resources Included:

• 5 CPSA exam tips (strategically placed)
• 10 practice exam questions (multiple choice format)
• Complete answer key with detailed rationales
• 5 common mistakes sections with solutions
• Legal compliance checklist (20 actionable items)
• Quick reference tables and summaries

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Chapter 2: Law, Compliance & Legal Framework 🔄 IN PROGRESS

Skills Covered: B1, B2, D1, D2
Exam Coverage: 15-20%
Estimated Completion: End of November 2025

Topics to Cover:

• Computer Misuse Act 1990 (UK)
• GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• PCI-DSS requirements for payment card security
• ISO 27001 information security standards
• NIS Regulations (Critical Infrastructure)
• HIPAA (Healthcare Data)
• Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA)
• Rules of Engagement (RoE) legal requirements
• Contract law and liability
• Insurance and professional responsibility
• Incident response obligations

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Chapter 3: Reporting & Documentation 📅 PLANNED

Skills Covered: C1, C2, C3, C4
Exam Coverage: 10-15%
Planned Release: December 2025

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Chapter 4: Testing Techniques & Methodologies 📅 PLANNED

Skills Covered: B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8
Exam Coverage: 25-30%
Planned Release: January 2026

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🎓 Who This Is For

Audience	Time	Use Case
CPSA Candidates	2-3 hours/chapter	Comprehensive exam preparation
Security Professionals	1-2 hours/chapter	PT framework reference
Managers/CISOs	1-1.5 hours/chapter	PT program planning and ROI
Executives	45-60 min/chapter	High-level security understanding
Students	2-3 hours/chapter	Career entry into cybersecurity
Career Changers	3-4 hours/chapter	Comprehensive introduction

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🚀 Getting Started

Option 1: Read on GitHub (Easiest)

1. Click on Chapter-01.md
2. Read directly in browser
3. Use GitHub's search feature to find topics
4. Star the repository if helpful!

Option 2: Clone Repository (For Offline Study)

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/CPSA-Study-Guide.git
cd CPSA-Study-Guide