A buyer’s guide to CHECK in 2025

This document outlines the UK NCSC’s CHECK scheme for assured penetration testing, detailing when it should be used (mandatory for government systems handling classified data, optional elsewhere), the 2025 requirement for professional titles (Principal for Team Leaders and Practitioner for Team Members by March 2026), and how scoping, access, and coordination drive test value. It explains the expected report structure, NCSC’s review and anonymized insights for national risk tracking, and emphasizes that CHECK provides vetted competence, quality oversight, and confidentiality to help organizations understand risk and prioritize remediation.