Coronavirus: Security certification body puts exams online

Global cyber security professional association the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is giving candidates for certification the ability to test remotely during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

As global lockdowns stretch into a second month, the IAPP will work alongside computer testing body Pearson VUE to deliver remote proctoring via its OnVUE online proctoring platform from the middle of May 2020, enabling candidates to sit their exams from the safety of their own homes.

“With so much uncertainty in the world and an abundance of people working remotely, the importance of privacy has never been so crucial,” said J Trevor Hughes, CEO and president of the IAPP.

“There are hundreds of exam candidates who have trained, studied and are waiting to take their exam. This allows them to test from their home and advance their learning and career goals while still practising safe social distancing.”

The IAPP said that with the Covid-19 pandemic hindering traditional methods of in-person examinations, it was committed to ensuring continuity of both learning and testing for cyber security professionals making their way through the process.

Exam candidates will be able to purchase their desired exam through the IAPP’s store and then schedule an online live proctoring date and time with a Pearson VUE remote proctor – subject to some restrictions in availability and geography.

To sit the exams, candidates will need a quiet, private location, a reliable computer with a working webcam and microphone, and a stable broadband connection.

The organisation will initially make three of its certifications available via the OnVUE platform. These are:

• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), which demonstrates candidates’ mastery of jurisdictional laws, regulations and enforcement models, and legal requirements for handling and transferring data, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
• Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT), which demonstrates candidates’ practical knowledge in the application of privacy and data protection practices during the development, engineering, deployment and audit of products and services.
• Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), which proves candidates’ understanding of how to implement data privacy regulations day to day, demonstrating the knowledge to create a company privacy vision, set up an internal data protection team, develop and implement system frameworks, measure performance, and communicate results to stakeholders, among other things.

The utility of online learning has spiked in recent weeks as global lockdowns force closures of schools, colleges, universities and adult training institutions, and the postponement of exams.

In many cases, the industry has been stepping up to assist such institutions to maintain continuity of education, as many remote working parents are now forced to act as teachers too.

In the UK, the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) is just one organisation providing guidance on online education resources, including the use of technology, while in the Nordic countries, governments are working extensively with e-learning providers and startups to provide continuity of learning for pupils during the crisis.

Meanwhile, in Italy, which has been particularly badly hit by the pandemic, the Sapienza University of Rome, a teaching hospital, is using a cloud-based digital teaching platform provided by Sweden’s Sectra to minimise disruption to medical students.