Mile2 Certification Opportunity

stryder144

I didn't see this posted elsewhere, and I know that Mile2 isn't well-known, but here goes: they are offering free access to one training course, ebook, and exam voucher to veterans and first responders. If you do to Mile2.com, you should see the announcement on their homepage. The offer is valid until the end of the month, with course/voucher access good for one year.

cyberguypr

Although unpopular, can't go wrong with free.

JDMurray

I haven't seen a reference to Mile2 in quite a while!

And yes, this offer is for US/Canadian citizens who are law enforcement, active military and veterans, members of first response and government cybersecurity organizations, and tax exempt organizations only. It looks like they are looking for new customers that can charge training to government agencies and programs.

Cuse0311

Thanks for the info Stryder! Are you going to take a course yourself? If so, which one were you thinking?

tedjames

My last agency paid for Mile2 training/certifications for us. I took a couple of them and got nothing out of them. That was 3.5 years ago. Maybe things have changed. However, like the man said, you can't go wrong with free.

Veterans and government employees can also get free training here: https://fedvte.usalearning.gov/

stryder144

@Cuse0311 - I did sign up for the Disaster Response Professional, as that is where I have the most experience.

@tedjames - I am hopeful that they have changed. I realize that their reputation isn't the greatest, which is why I usually call them a tier-2 cert provider.

@JDMurray - I agree that they are looking for new, corporate customers.

MickyDee

Thanks for the information! I just signed up for the "Certified Penetration Testing Engineer". I'm not a pentester by any means, but it's free and looks interesting. Also, the FBI considers their certifications "tier 1", so that's got to be good for something. The voucher is good for a year, so I won't be starting until sometime next year as I'm taking the CySA+ in October and then studying for the CISSP.

JDMurray

Does anyone know where the current "FBI Cyber Certifications" list is posted on fbi.gov or any other US government site? The PDF at Mile2 does not contain a date or references to where it came from, but it likely is a document that was removed in 2015 and is no longer used by the FBI. I wondering if DoDD 8140 and the NICE Framework has replaced it, and if Mile2 certifications are recommended anymore by the FBI or the US DoD.

stryder144

I don't recall seeing the Mile2 certifications on the DoDD 8140 site, to be honest.

Qord

I'm pretty sure the word "veteran" was originally on the promo materials and has since been removed. It now says "in military (active or retired)"

cyberguypr

Holy guacamole, i just read the funniest thing on reddit regarding Mile2: "The certs are held at the same level as SANS and they're NSA certified. So they've at least got that going for them." Someone is drinking the kool-aid. when called out the guy fixed it to: "Sorry, worded that wrong. The FBI holds it at the same level as SANS."

To JD's point, all the stuff they claim seems "toot your own horn". That FBI document is shady as hell. How is it that if this is such a big thing no one else claims to be on this list? This is worse than that page the EC Council had showing how they were way better than SANS. Show me some independent source saying that your stuff is good and at least I will respect you. Everything you can get off google right now will point you to mile2's own marketing stuff. To me it's the equivalent of self-publishing a book.

MickyDee

So, I was scrolling through the course work yesterday and there is a lot of decent information contained in the material. However, the main thing I was looking forwards to, the labs, are NOT included in the promotion; access to their "cyber range" is $100 for a week, $200 for 3 weeks. Also, I don't know much about the FBI cert guide, as the CASP and CISM, which I think are pretty relevant in the 8570 world, aren't even included in their chart. I realize the DoD and DoJ are different agencies, but I figure that they would utilize some of the same criteria for hiring, etc.