The hunt to find the UK’s top cyber-talent has begun as Cyber Security Challenge UK looks for 10 candidates to represent the nation at the prestigious European Cyber Security Challenge competition later this year.
The 10 individuals, aged 14-25, who will form Team UK will need an outstanding aptitude for codebreaking, social engineering and digital forensics as they compete against teams compromised of some of the best talent across Europe including Germany, Spain, Romania, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.
The competition, which will be held in Malaga, Spain in October, will take place over five days and will task competitors with deciphering complex codes, analyzing computer networks and conducting a full investigation into security scenarios, like those organizations face on a day-to-day basis.
A new rule for 2017 sees young industry professionals invited to take part in the competition, as well as budding amateurs, and those looking for a chance to make the team will need to take part in an online qualifier before Wednesday June 21, with the top 40 scorers invited to a face-to-face competition run by cybersecurity specialists, Roke. Here their skills will be tested further in a series of practical challenges and team building exercises and at the end of the day, the final 10 will be selected for Team UK.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for young cybersecurity professionals and budding enthusiasts to show the World how good the UK is when it comes to cybersecurity,” said Debbie Tunstall, head of education programmes at Cyber Security Challenge UK. “The competition allows participants to make contacts in the cybersecurity sector all over Europe, forming a network for their future careers.”
The European Cyber Security Challenge has been developed in response to the growing popularity of cybersecurity competitions across the continent, which have proven to be a great source of talent for companies across the cybersecurity landscape. The competition also allows international companies to see which country has the most exciting talent, and identify where to hire from.