Established in 2009
24 Jul 2026 · Announcement
NSD Scholar Program moves to a six-month format
Cohort 08 adds a three-month capstone research track alongside the live online sessions.
NSD Global is the official website of the National Security Database (NSD), managed by ISAC Foundation. Explore professional empanelment, cybersecurity and AI grades, the NSD Scholar Program and community chapters.
Empanelment places a professional on the NSD registry at a defined grade of competence, earned through examination, practical and psychometric assessment, and adherence to a binding code of ethics. It is durable, renewable, and independently verifiable by anyone in seconds.
Prove your capability through NSD examinations and range assessment, and join the registry at Netizen, First Responder, Cadet or Falcon grade.
Explore technical empanelment →Executive programs for senior professionals: the NSD Scholar Program (NCSSP), DPDP, Security Product Management and Governance.
Explore programs →Foundation for baseline competence, Technical for hands-on practitioners, and Management for those who run cyber programs. Each grade attests something specific.
The flagship techno-managerial executive program. Six months: three months live online, three months capstone research. Confers the NSD Scholar grade.
Program details & register → OpenAn executive program on the Digital Personal Data Protection framework and global data-protection practice, for DPOs, counsel and security leaders.
Program details & register → OpenExamination plus practical range assessment for working security professionals across core domains. Online proctored and range-campus slots.
Eligibility & booking →Certifications are issued under ISAC's QCI-NCIIPC accreditation as a certification body for critical sectors. The standing behind the credential is institutional, not commercial.
Empanelment is bound to a published code of ethics. It can lapse and it can be revoked, which is precisely why an employer can trust what the registry says today.
Practical assessment on the Phygital Cyber Range across 750+ scenarios, plus off-grid resilience training and live industry immersion. Judgment under pressure, observed.
Empanelled members run local chapters: meetups, drills, mentoring and regional response. Chapter governance is earned, not bought.
Across India, the Gulf and South-East Asia, each with elected office bearers.
Find your chapter →Scholars who complete the in-person immersion earn the right to form chapters and stand for election.
How chapters work →Cohort 08 adds a three-month capstone research track alongside the live online sessions.
Office bearers elected at the regional convening; first drills scheduled for August.
Clarified obligations on disclosure, conflict of interest and the revocation process.
Cohort 08 applications close 25 August. Six months, cohort-based, ends in a published capstone.
Employers: every empanelled professional can now be verified from a single link. No login, no forms.
Chapter drill in Hyderabad this weekend. 40 members, live incident scenario on the range.
Apply for empanelment, or talk to us about verifying and hiring empanelled professionals.
Empanelment places you on the NSD registry at a defined grade of competence, earned through examination, assessment or recognition of work you have already done, and held under a professional code of ethics. Employers can confirm it in seconds.
Six grades · Three categories · Valid three years · Free to renew
A certification records what you passed, and when. Empanelment records something different: that you are, today, a professional in good standing at an assessed grade, bound by a published code of ethics, and that anyone can confirm it without asking you for a document.
It is durable, it is renewable, and it can be withdrawn. That last point is what gives the first two their meaning. NSD maintains the register; ISAC, accredited by QCI-NCIIPC as a certification body for critical sectors, issues the certifications beneath it.
You may already qualify. NSD recognises credentials you have earned elsewhere, CEH and SANS at Cadet, OSCP and published research at Falcon, career experience at Guardian. Submit them and be assessed for empanelment, with no re-examination and, in most cases, no fee.
NSD empanels across three categories. Foundation covers baseline competence; Technical is for those who do the work; Management is for those who lead it. Each category has its own grades, and they are not ranked against one another.
Start from what you already have.
| If this is you | Start here | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| I attended a cybersecurity workshop | Cyber Aware Netizen | Free |
| I am often the first person told when something goes wrong | First Responder | USD 99 examination |
| I hold CEH, a SANS certification or similar | Cadet, by recognition | Free |
| I work in security but hold no certification | Cadet, by examination | USD 300 |
| I hold OSCP | Falcon, by recognition | [CONFIRM]To be confirmed |
| I have presented research at a major security conference | Falcon, by approved research | Free |
| I want to prove hands-on capability in a lab | Falcon, by examination | USD 900 |
| I have led security at management level for 5+ years in a critical sector | Guardian, by recognition | Free |
| I lead, or am moving into, senior cyber leadership | Scholar, via NCSSP | Programme fee |
Every grade follows the same path. What changes is the assessment in step three.
| Step | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Apply | You create a profile and select your track, grade and route | Complete the application, or claim your credential if you are applying for Cyber Aware Netizen |
| 2 · Verify | NSD validates your identity and your eligibility for the grade | Supply government photo identification and, at senior grades, professional references |
| 3 · Assess | Your capability is assessed by the route you chose | Sit the examination, submit your certification or research, or complete the programme. Falcon, Lancer, Guardian and Scholar also include a free psychometric assessment |
| 4 · Attest | You accept the obligations that come with the grade | Agree to Clean Exit, Professional Ethics at Workplace, the NSD Code of Ethics |
| 5 · Empanel | You are entered on the registry | Receive your verifiable credential, badge and registry listing |
Whatever grade you are aiming at, there are only three kinds of route.
| Route | What it means | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Recognition | Submit work you have already done, a certification, published research, or documented career experience. Assessed, not re-examined. Free in almost every case. | Cadet · Falcon · Guardian |
| Examination | Sit an NSD examination, written or practical, and be assessed on the result. | First Responder · Cadet · Falcon |
| Programme | Complete a required programme where the learning is the point and cannot be substituted. | First Responder · Guardian · Scholar |
Cyber Aware Netizen sits outside all three: it is granted on attendance. Lancer sits outside all three in the other direction: it is conferred, and cannot be applied for.
Everything in this section is included with empanelment at no cost, unless it is marked as part of NSD Network membership.
| Benefit | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Public registry listing at your grade | Empanelment | You control what appears publicly |
| Verifiable digital credential | Empanelment | Permanent verification URL, no login required for the verifier |
| Shareable badge | Empanelment | Sized for LinkedIn, email signatures and CVs |
| Credential certificate (PDF) | Empanelment | Downloadable from the portal |
| Benefit | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NSD job board | Network membership | Roles posted by member organisations and partners |
| Internship listings | Network membership | For students and early-career members |
| Confidential senior-role search | Network membership | For members at Guardian, Scholar, Falcon and Lancer standing |
| Employer verification of your standing | Empanelment | Employers verify you directly; nothing is required of you |
| Member directory | Network membership | Searchable across grades, chapters and sectors |
| Benefit | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Access to the Phygital Cyber Range | Empanelment | [CONFIRM, which grades, and whether any usage limit applies]To be confirmed |
| Virtual lab scenarios | Empanelment | [CONFIRM, access level by grade]To be confirmed |
| Discounted event passes | Network membership | NSD events, convenings and the annual ceremony |
| Benefit | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local chapter membership | Empanelment | 18 chapters and growing |
| Peer network across grades and sectors | Empanelment | Through chapters and NSD events |
| Peer crisis support | Empanelment | [CONFIRM, which grades, and how it is accessed]To be confirmed |
| Benefit | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility to progress to higher grades | Empanelment | Each grade opens the next |
| Chapter governance rights | Scholar, via the optional immersion | Form a chapter, stand for election, hold office |
| Eligibility to serve as an examiner | Falcon and above | [CONFIRM, selection process]To be confirmed |
| Eligibility for the NSD Council and its committees | Falcon, Scholar, Lancer | Research review, ethics panel, standards |
Empanelment is not only a benefit. It carries obligations, and they are the reason the grade means anything.
A grade can lapse if it is not renewed, and it can be withdrawn following a finding under the Code of Ethics. Both outcomes are shown publicly on the registry. [LINK: renewal and revocation policy]
| Grade | Route | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber Aware Netizen | Workshop attendance | Free |
| First Responder | CCIO programme, then examination | USD 99 examination, plus programme fee |
| Cadet | Recognition of an accepted certification | Free |
| Cadet | NSD examination | USD 300 |
| Falcon | Recognition of OSCP | [CONFIRM]To be confirmed |
| Falcon | Approved published research | Free |
| Falcon | NSD lab examination | USD 900 |
| Lancer | Conferred on nomination | None |
| Guardian | Recognition of experience | Free |
| Guardian | NSD management programme | Programme fee |
| Scholar | NSD Scholar Programme (NCSSP) | Programme fee |
Psychometric assessment, where required, is free. Renewal is free at every grade.
Empanelment at every NSD grade is valid for three years, including grades granted at no cost. Renewal is free. Your standing lapses only if you do not renew, and is withdrawn only following a finding under the Code of Ethics.
Every NSD grade requires agreement to Clean Exit, Professional Ethics at Workplace, the NSD Code of Ethics. It is what makes an NSD grade a statement about conduct as well as capability, and it is why a credential can be withdrawn.
This grade includes a psychometric assessment at no cost. It is not a test of knowledge. It is part of how NSD assesses judgment and professional disposition at senior grades.
Empanelment and membership are different things. Your grade is yours for three years and costs nothing to renew. NSD Network membership is optional, USD 50 a year, and adds access to the member network, discounted passes to NSD events, the job and internship board, and senior-role search.
Hiring, contracting or building a panel? Talk to our team about empanelled talent by grade, sector and city.
No. Apply for the grade that matches your capability. The grades build on one another in scope, but none of them is a prerequisite for the next, apart from First Responder's requirement to complete the CCIO programme.
Yes. The technical and management tracks are independent, and many senior professionals hold a grade on each.
Because NSD is a registry, not a competing course provider. Recognising a certification you already hold costs you nothing and tells an employer something no certification can: that you are in good standing today, and bound by a code of ethics.
Nothing. Your grade is valid for three years and renewal is free. NSD Network membership is a separate optional subscription at USD 50 a year and is never required.
Your standing lapses and the registry shows it. You can renew at any time. [CONFIRM, whether a lapsed grade is delisted after a period.]To be confirmed
Yes, following a finding under the Code of Ethics. Withdrawal is shown on the registry. It is rare, and it is the reason an active grade is worth something.
Beyond technical empanelment, NSD offers executive programs for professionals who lead, building the strategic, managerial and regulatory judgment senior roles demand.
The flagship techno-managerial executive program. Six months: three months of live online sessions, three months of capstone research, culminating in the NSD Scholar grade. Delivered with IIM Bangalore.
Explore & register →A focused executive program on the Digital Personal Data Protection framework and global data-protection practice, for DPOs, counsel and security leaders.
Explore & register →An executive program bridging security, engineering and product strategy, for those who build, secure and lead products in a threat-heavy world.
Explore & register →Governance, risk and board-level oversight for executives who set direction and must demonstrate accountability. Translates technical risk into board language.
Explore & register →One flat annual subscription gives every enrolled student at your institution full-year access to the online bootcamp calendar, instructor-led training and empanelment examinations. Sold to institutions, not individuals.
Explore Campus Alliance →NSD sets the standard and examines; accredited partners deliver preparatory training. Keeping the two separate is what protects the registry's independence.
| Course | Partner | Mode | Dates | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Responder Prep | [Partner] | Online | 04–15 Aug | Virtual | Enrol |
| Cadet Bootcamp | [Partner] | In-person | 22–26 Aug | Hyderabad Range | 6 seats |
| Falcon Masterclass | [Partner] | Hybrid | 07–11 Oct | Delhi Range | Waitlist |
One calendar for everything NSD runs: examinations, chapter drills, industry immersions, the annual convening and the Scholar convocation.
Five days, Hyderabad campus · Practical assessment environment · 6 seats remaining
Online, live · Six-month program · Optional opening immersion announced separately
Members only · Half day · Live scenario on the range
Three nights, near Bangalore · Optional, non-graded · Unlocks chapter governance rights
IIM Bangalore campus · Certificate ceremony · Chapter elections
Chapters are where empanelment becomes a community: meetups, drills, mentoring and regional response, run by elected members. Governance is earned through the in-person immersion, not purchased.
NSD Global maintains an international registry of cybersecurity professionals, graded by verified competence and bound by a professional code of ethics.
Trust in a practitioner is established objectively, by examination against a published standard, rather than asserted.
Established in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with support from the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO), Government of India, under the Prime Ministers Office, to build a trusted cadre of cyber defenders.
Launched in 2011 at the International Malware Conference (MalCon) by the then Minister of State for IT, Shri Sachin Pilot, NSD was recognised as a national initiative to identify, assess, and empanel skilled information-security professionals.
CERT-In, under MeitY, subsequently came formally on board the platform under the leadership of its then Director General, Dr. Gulshan Rai, further strengthening NSD’s institutional mandate and national relevance.
Over the years, NSD has partnered with 100+ leading industry organisations, top IITs, IIMs, and institutions of national eminence to deliver advanced cybersecurity programmes for practitioners, CISOs, and senior management, earning strong recognition and high rankings globally.
Empanelment, programs, verification, partnerships or media.
We will route you to the right team.
