Peter Clarke, a 38-year-old network engineer for a high-end car dealer in Leicester, has won the 2015 Cyber Security Challenge UK competition.
The Challenge comprises a series of virtual and face-to-face competitions that would identify talented people for the cybersecurity industry in the UK. In it, 42 contestants used their skills to defend Church House on the Grounds of Westminster Abbey from a fictional biological cyber terror attack. Over the course of the competition, contestants had to demonstrate real life technical skills that the industry relies upon, while adhering to strict legal framework, very closely based on UK government legislation.
Now entering its sixth year the Challenge is backed by over 50 public, private and academic organizations in the UK such as QinetiQ which led and designed the program. IT was supported by experts from Bank of England, GCHQ, National Crime Agency, BT, Cisco, Falanx Group, Roke Manor Research, Simudyne, and CyberCENTS Solutions. The competition is designed to unearth hidden cyber talent in the general public, and attract them into the cybersecurity industry.
Commenting on his victory, Clarke said: “I feel like it’s been a rollercoaster ride. I only entered the Cyber Challenge eight or nine weeks ago without anything higher than a GCSE and a few Microsoft qualifications in my back pocket so to be here now is unbelievable. I’ve had an interest in cyber for several years now and keep a breadth of the current trends and tools in the industry but this is the first step towards a future career in the area. I really want this to become my profession and the Cyber Security Challenge has given me a catapult into the industry that you can’t find anywhere else.”
More than half of 2015’s finalists were gamers, suggesting, said the organizers, that the 33 million of such people in the e UK was very likely to be a strong source of future cyber-defense talent to keep our country safe online.
“We would like to encourage any individual with an inquisitive mind, a passion for problem solving and desire to learn, to sign up and have a go at some of the games on our play-on-demand gaming platform – they are ready to play now,” added Bob Nowill, Chairman of Cyber Security Challenge UK. “You could have a hidden talent for cyber and be joining us for our big finale next year. Our past winners have included postmen, car park attendants, web designers and gamers – we simply don’t know who could be next.”