Computer terror simulation used to recruit ‘cyber defenders’

A speed boat races down the Thames early in the morning with armed men onboard. Wearing my life-jacket, I hold on to the side as we speed underneath the Tower Bridge. Our destination is HMS Belfast, the old battleship moored on the river, now a tourist attraction.

As they arrive, members of the National Crime Agency (NCA) approach a large group of people milling around on the deck and pounce on one man as he pulls his own weapon, dragging him to the ground. The shouting is loud but the scuffle is brief enough though to give one of the NCA officers a bruise on his head.

The man is taken back down to the speedboat and within a few seconds the mission is over. The only disconcerting thing is the laughter from the other people on the deck. That is because they know it is just an exercise, a real-world component of the annual Cyber Security Challenge designed to seek out untapped expertise when it comes to securing computer networks.

Onboard HMS Belfast, the 42 contestants taking part in the challenge - split into teams - are soon back at their laptops. They are in a race against time. A digital clock is counting down in the corner.

The guns on the ship have been taken over by a hacker and according to a video put up by a terrorist group that calls itself the Flagday Associates when the countdown finishes the City Hall around the corner will be the target.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has clearly upset someone.

It has been created by companies and government bodies. No one taking part currently works in the cybersecurity industry, the idea is to identify new talent. This event is the culmination of more than 10 months of qualifying competitions to find the country’s cyber defenders.

Finding people with the right skills is a problem, everyone working in the field agrees. This is a key part of bringing on new talent, whether that be school leavers or university graduates, and putting them into a challenging environment to test their skills and bring their skills on and hopefully getting a job in the industry.

There also may well be a large paycheck for the winner. — New York Times News Service