14 DAY TRIAL // The possibility to learn about the methods used by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to defend the UK against cyber-attacks is offered by the agency to computer science students through a ten-week “Cyber Insider” summer program.
Those eligible (computer science students year one or two) will be working with both legacy technology and the latest mobile developments, with cyber experts from the agency as their instructors.
Scheduled between July 6 and September 11 in Cheltenham, the program focuses on ethical hacking, computer network security and assessing the vulnerable spots, as well as the strong ones in different operating systems.
Getting to the end of the course may not be as easy as one may believe, as applicants need to be versed in programming in at least one language from C, Perl, JavaScript and Python. Having out of the ordinary problem-solving abilities should come as an advantage to securing a spot in the class.
The announcement informs that, at the end of the program, there will be a Capture the Flag (CTF) competition designed to help participants apply their new knowledge.
Completing the program gets the participant not just a certification for high-level cyber course but also a £2,500 (€3,456 / $3,800) monetary reward. More than this, accommodation is provided free of charge.