Infosec 2010: Challenge aims to find new cyber security professionals

Initiative launched to plug growing skills gap

The challenge is aimed to inspire young people and undergraduates to get into cyber security

Information security organisations will run a series of national public competitions as a way of recruiting staff for the UK’s future cyber security workforce.

The Cyber Security Challenge UK is being held by industry leaders who have designed, built and implemented a range of online games that aim to replicate the problems cyber security professionals deal with daily.

The games use the advanced technology to test the competitors’ cyber security skills as well as inspire them to start a career in IT security.

The challenge will consist of three online games: Network Defence, where the user is tasked with defending a typical corporate network from online attacks; Forensics Challenge, a game to test whether users are able to use forensics evidence to take a proactive approach to identifying potential attacks; and Treasure Hunt, where the user must search for malicious codes embedded in compromised web sites.

Tony Dyhouse, director of the Cyber Security Programme for the Digital Systems KTN, explained that the challenge is an interesting way for industry to address the problem of a growing skills gap in the sector.

“The Cyber Security Challenge UK is a perfect demonstration of what is possible when the industry comes together to solve a problem that affects everyone,” he said.

His sentiments are echoed by new research that reveals the difficulties that information security professionals face in trying to recruit new staff.

The Sans Institute surveyed 255 senior managers on behalf of the consortium behind the Cyber Security Challenge. It found that more than 90 per cent of those surveyed stated it was already difficult to recruit cyber security professionals, and nearly 60 per cent said that the number of cyber security jobs required to cope with attacks will increase in the coming years.

“We have to improve the quality and quantity of talented people entering the profession to accommodate escalating requirements,” said Judy Baker, director of Cyber Security Challenge UK.

“The current system is not delivering enough skilled professionals to meet the cyber security challenges we face. We need to excite, inspire and stimulate fresh interest in a career as a cyber security specialist. The competitions we are developing will do exactly that.”