The defence product company BAE Systems, Her Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) and Cyber Security Challenge UK have hosted a weekend’s cyber forensics investigation in the heart of London. The organisers said that the staged attack replicated some of the emerging threats around smartphones and tablets, which are becoming increasingly valuable to hacking groups. The cyber amateurs, selected after national online qualifying rounds, were monitored by BAE Systems and HMGCC, who were both looking to recruit stand-out candidates.
This event, hosted at BAE Systems’ office in London’s Blue Fin Building, was the latest in the 2016 series of competitions for Cyber Security Challenge UK, backed by the Cabinet Office and aimed at unearthing UK cyber prodigies. The winners of this competition have progressed to a final in November. Hosting a simulated investigation to find the talent for Britain’s cyber security industry, the organisations staged a real working environment to test aptitude and performance. The day saw candidates take on the roles of Government contractors, investigating a high profile attack on a fictional secure payment app and website.
Players were given BAE Systems and HMGCC advice to pull apart the company’s server, work out how to detect compromises on smart phones, search source files and report to the organisation’s board on their findings. The tasks tested the teams’ technical capabilities besides ‘soft’ skills to see if they have all the aptitudes needed for cyber work.
The competitors were monitored by assessors, from BAE Systems, HMGCC and cyber security companies, who judged the candidates. Those who did well will be invited to technical interview stages with the host companies. The challengers were chosen after becoming top performers in qualifying games, hosted on the Challenge’s Play-On-Demand platform (PoD). The PoD system allows those interested in cyber security to test their skills and knowledge using a pool of games designed by industry experts – there is still time to sign up and take part in this year’s competition.
Stephanie Daman, CEO at Cyber Security Challenge UK said: “The calibre of jobs on offer within cyber security is astounding, and with so many diverse roles available there is a chance for people to thrive and become hugely successful within the industry. These competitions throw candidates in the deep end and allow them to immerse themselves in the world of cyber security, allowing them to demonstrate their skills to potential employers and take the first steps towards becoming cyber security experts. Cyber threats continue to plague many industries, and with a widening skills gap affecting businesses ability to hire staff, events like these provide the perfect opportunity for new talent to emerge and for businesses to see them in action.”
Chris Clinton, Cyber Security Consultant at BAE Systems, said: “Training, real-life experience, education, these are just a few of the tools needed to develop and prepare future cyber security professionals and we are proud to be able to offer all of these through our partnership with Cyber Security Challenge UK. Working on programmes such as this puts us at the heart of finding the best and brightest in cyber, helping keep both businesses and the country safe from the digital threats that we face day-in, day-out. Working with HMGCC we have designed a scenario that pushes our contestants to the limits and tests all their abilities, helping them develop into the future cyber experts that the country needs.”
The winning team was the Red team: Andy Snowball, Lisa and James Benson. The top three highest scoring contestants out of the top ten who have qualified for Masterclass were Lisa, Michael Carr and Chris Bailey.
The top performers qualified for the Cyber Security Challenge UK Masterclass in November, which pitches the top 42 candidates against each other. This year’s competition will be hosted by the audit services firm PwC; with GCHQ, the Bank of England and the National Crime Agency (pictured; last year’s event in central London). Visit https://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk.
