14 DAY TRIAL // A hacking contest similar to the US Cyber Challenge competition is to be launched next year in the UK. The most talented contestants will be offered cyber security training courses and could be recruited by the government or large companies.
Britain's new security strategy involves strengthening its ability to counter foreign cyber threats that threaten UK's infrastructure and even launch cyber attacks if necessary. As part of this strategy a new cabinet office called the Cabinet Office of Cyber Security has been created along with a Cyber Security Operations Centre.
Lord Alan West, the parliamentary under-secretary for security and counter-terrorism, was the first to advance the idea of reforming teenage hackers to work as cyber soldiers for the government. "You need youngsters who are deep into this stuff... If they have been slightly naughty boys, very often they really enjoy stopping other naughty boys," he told BBC back in June.
Back in September, we reported that this concept had already been put into practice and that fifty former hackers, many still teenagers had been hired to work at the new Cyber Security Operations Center. All of them signed the Official Secrets Act and were put through the same vetting process as any other intelligence official.
The US has a similar initiative of its own in the form of a contest for wannabe cyber-spies. Called the US Cyber Challenge, the competition "is looking for 10,000 young Americans with the skills to fill the ranks of cyber security practitioners, researchers, and warriors." The most skilled hackers participating to the contest get to go to cyber security camps, get scholarship offers and ultimately might end up being employed by federal government agencies.
According to The Times, trials for a UK version of this competition are set to begin early next year. The funding and management structure for the contest is still being discussed and several large British companies have been invited to participate. Judy Baker, a security consultant who is in charge of the negotiations, noted that "Plans are developing for a public/private management consortium that would include representatives from leading business sectors and organisations."
The SANS Institute, an organization specializing in computer security training, certification and research, is backing up the UK efforts and plans to offer the winners of the British contest free access to its courses. The institute already conducts the NetWars vulnerability identification competition, which is part of the US Cyber Challenge program. Scholarships, university bursaries and support for PhDs are also possible prizes.