Future cyber defenders can showcase their skills by identifying insider espionage within a mobile app development company, and securing a motor racing team from cyber thieves as part of the latest Cyber Security Challenge UK competitions.
Stemming from the cyber security challenge, this latest set of scenarios tests the underlying mixture of technical and broader business skills in demand within the cyber security industry.
The stream begins with a virtual competition run by Dtex Systems, a global leader in user activity monitoring and internal security solutions. Competitors will act as an external security consultant for a fictitious mobile app development start-up called Online Mobile Gaming (OMG). In this scenario OMG has rapidly expanded its workforce in anticipation of the release of its newest game, MoodyCatz, but has yet to implement adequate IT controls.
In a problem which has become frighteningly commonplace, a few weeks before the game’s release, a rival mobile app company has released a very similar game, FuriousCatz. OMG’s Directors suspect insider involvement. The candidate’s job is to use their forensic investigation skills to identify the high-risk users carrying out the activities responsible for the leaks.
Mohan Koo, managing director, Dtex Systems said:
“As the monetary and political value of data grows, cyber criminals are becoming more aggressive in their quest to gain access. One of the easiest ways is by targeting employees on the inside and having them create security vulnerabilities or steal information directly. Without skilled security analysts who are able to effectively filter through large volumes of data, internal security breaches can often take days, months or even years to detect, rather than minutes or seconds. The ability to find the events which really matter in a timely fashion is a much needed and scarce skill.”
The winners from this virtual competition will be invited to Orange’s brand new face-to face competition, developed with Prodrive, the British motorsport and automotive engineering group, and held at the Banbury racing track in November. Here 30 candidates will come up against a real life motorsport set-up, complete with Aston Martin Racing car, pit crew, technical team and a complex ICT infrastructure which connects them all.
Cyber Security is a growing issue in professional racing where the IP of the car and the information relayed between the team during races is vital to the performance on the track. The McLaren Formula 1 team was fined $100 million and stripped of its points in 2007 after using leaked secret technical documents belonging to the rival Ferrari team.
In this scenario Aston Martin Racing are seeking a complete security solution in preparation for Le Mans, the biggest date in the international racing calendar. Candidates will work in teams as security architects, identifying the team’s security requirements, and demonstrating what the team can realistically afford and what will work effectively in the racing environment. They will finish by presenting their solutions to the team’s board.
Stephanie Daman, CEO, Cyber Security Challenge UK said:
“This competition is all about risk analysis – how much vulnerability can you allow before you put the team at risk? How secure do you need to be before you run over budget or negatively affect the operation of the team? Whilst we are using Aston Martin Racing as a glamorous example, strip it away and it is basic business-to-business security.”
Peter Erceg, CISO for Everything Everywhere said:
“Through Everything Everywhere’s Orange brand, we believe in giving our customers the best network security so that they trust us with their digital lives. The virtual world we live in is constantly under attack from individual and organised criminals, hacktivist groups and even the curious amateur. That’s why bringing talented people into the cyber security profession is so important and why we support the Cyber Security Challenge.”