PWC, Sophos, SANS Institute, HP Labs, Cassidian and QinetiQ, all supporters of the first UK-wide Cyber Security Challenge last year, are back on board for 2011 – with extended roles. The have been joined by new sponsor SAIC. Together, the companies are developing the competitions that this year’s candidates will have to complete to win a place in The Masterclass grand final.
Extended sponsorships and increased commitment
In addition, the challenge’s partnership with DC3, the US Department of Defense’s Cyber Crime Center, has developed. This year, the competition is to award a prize to the best UK entrant in the DC3 Digital Forensics competition, as well as invite the top entrants to compete at the later stages of the challenge alongside other candidates from different competitions.
The Government’s Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance has pledged a total of GB pound 180,000 in sponsorship and will make up a part of the competition’s management board.
“Last year’s challenge was a great success and we learned a great deal from our first batch of candidates. By feeding that back into our competition structure and design, this year’s challenge is going to be bigger and a more comprehensive test that truly showcases the array of experiences encountered in a professional cyber security environment,” Jay Abbott, head of the competitions group and the director of PWC’s Threat and Vulnerability Management practice.
The future of cyber security
“Supported by some of the most prestigious organisations in cyber security we are now able to offer more competitions, more chances for players to prove their skills, and more ways to win prizes. The new challenge definitely moves the game on. It offers a great introduction to those making a first attempt, and something different for those testing their mettle for the second time.”
Other developments include an increased number of competitions thoughout the year, with entrants given multiple opportunities to play, as well as a series of one-ff competitions, including PwC Ciphers.
Bryan Lille from sponsor Cassidian said: “Cassidian has found this initiative to be a unique way, not only to identify the next generation of experts who will help defend against cyber attacks, but also to promote the many opportunities that exist within the industry and indeed our company. The challenge has also been a great platform for Cassidian to present one of our leading cyber solutions being used in one of the competitions devised by us in partnership with HP Labs.”
