PwC has today been unveiled as the lead sponsor for the most sophisticated Cyber Security Challenge UK Masterclass event ever, to be staged on 2nd – 4th November 2016 in London. In addition, Cyber Security Challenge UK and PwC are offering two ‘golden ticket’ passes* to fast track winners to the Masterclass in a competition launched today.
The 2016 Masterclass final promises to be the most immersive Cyber Security Challenge UK competition to date. The 42 finalists who qualify for the competition will compete against each other in teams to investigate a cyber attack on a fictional high-profile energy company, which national security organisations believe to be linked to breaches earlier in the year. Contestants will act as mock PwC consultants called in to uncover the root cause of the breach, monitor and protect the “client’s” estate and report back on the findings, battling around the clock as the simulated attack unfolds in real time within a high pressure environment.
Candidates can qualify for the Masterclass through the Challenge’s online and face-to-face competitions throughout the year, or this year for the first time through a fast-tracked route, consisting of a one-off intensive challenge set by PwC. This competition is made up of a series of levels of increasing difficulty, with the final stages designed to highlight those with advanced cyber skills. The top two participants will then bypass the normal qualifying rounds of the Challenge’s face-to-face competitions and head straight to the Masterclass to battle it out with the highest achievers of the year. It’s not too late to enter via the normal route though, so for the best chance to qualify, candidates should enter both the fast track option and the main competition.
Once the finalists have reached the Masterclass, they will be assessed both as teams and individually on technical, interpersonal and decision-making skills, all of which are highly sought after by cyber security employers. PwC and Cyber Security Challenge UK have assembled a consortium of leading organisations to deliver the competition alongside them; this includes GCHQ, the National Crime Agency, and the Bank of England. A panel of expert judges from across UK industry and government will then select winners, including the new Cyber Security Challenge UK champion.
The winners will take home their share of a carefully selected pot of prizes including university bursaries, professional accreditation, access to industry events and professional internships. With its sponsors’ support the Challenge has handed out hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of career enabling rewards to hundreds of the UK’s leading amateur cyber defenders, a number of whom have since moved into the profession.
Over the years, over 50% of the contestants in the Challenge’s face-to-face and Masterclass competitions have moved on into jobs in the industry.
Designed to strengthen the national pool of cyber skills, the aim of Cyber Security Challenge UK is to offer a unique programme of activities to introduce sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled individuals to learning and career opportunities in the profession.
Stephanie Daman, CEO, Cyber Security Challenge UK, said: “PwC and the consortium of sponsors they are working with have worked tirelessly to ensure that this challenge embodies the work we have carried out to date but also brings a fresh level of excitement to the competition. As we build on the reputation we’ve established in the past, this competition rises to a new level of intensity but our aim remains the same – to give candidates an opportunity to test their skills in real life environments and situations.”
Richard Horne, cyber security partner at PwC, said: “Cyber threats are increasing in complexity and scale, targeting not only vulnerable systems but also vulnerable business processes and people. As lead sponsor and designer of this year’s Cyber Security Challenge UK Masterclass, we aim to test a combination of candidates’ analytical and technical excellence as well as business skills in a high pressure, real time environment, similar to what they could expect to face in a real world situation. Cyber security can often be seen merely as a technical subject, but a well-rounded cyber expert today possesses a diverse skillset, with not only the technical know-how, but also wider business skills such as creativity, organisation, relationship building and communication. We look forward to inviting the finalists to this year’s competition, and helping to develop the next generation of cyber talent in the UK.”
