Cyber experts at DMU share expertise at successful industry bootcamp

Computer experts were put through their paces at a Cyber Security Challenge Development Camp, run at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).

The event was open to military personnel as well as civilians and aimed to give people their experience of working in the cyber security profession and the skills needed to take back to their workplaces.

EXPERTISE: Delegate James gets tips from Helge Janicke, Head of DMU's Cyber Security Centre

The cyber skills shortage is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to find suitably skills workers. The Development Camps, run by Cyber Security Challenge UK are designed to nurture the country’s hidden talent and encourage them into the workforce and are now in their second year of running.

The three day intensive bootcamp was hosted at DMU’s Cyber Security Centre, home to some of Britain’s leading experts and academics in cyber security and digital forensics issues.

It featured lectures and practical workshops from experts working in some of the country’s biggest companies, including The Bank of England, BAE Systems, BT, GCHQ, The National Grid and Infosec Skills. Attendees were taught a series of modern cyber security concepts, from penetration testing to crisis management.

Delegates learned the best ways of managing a cyber crisis based on real-life situations, took part in cyber challenges to see if they could work out how cyber criminals had hacked into secure computer networks.

The penetration testing exercise, assessed possible ways that criminals can access supposedly secure networks and help businesses protect secure information.

Helge Janicke, Head of DMU’s Cyber Security Centre, said: “This was an excellent event and we are very pleased to see the increasing interest in Cyber Security. It was great to see delegates working together in teams to cope with the some of the cyber security challenges that IT industries are facing today.  I am very proud of Richard Smith and our team here at the Cyber Security Centre for all the effort and dedication that resulted in such a successful three days. Working together with the Cyber Security Challenge and leading industries made this a very memorable event for everyone involved."

Sharif Gardner, director of the Cyber Academy PGI, which works with the UK Government and international agencies, said work like this was vital.

He said: “With IT security often it is the human element which is the vulnerable. People will profile your online presence and use information to Hackers will find a way to get in to a system, whether it is through email or suspect web applications and often they will do that by building up a profile of you and likely answers to questions and passwords.”

James Fujii, a corporate IT manager, said: “I came because I wanted to find out whether it would be worthwhile for my team to have this training and the answer is definitely yes.”

Stephanie Daman, CEO at the Cyber Security Challenge, said: “The Development Camp at DMU was a tremendous success, and our attendees received some of the finest cyber education around. Developing these skills in the workforce is a matter of national security, and through these camps we’re making a huge contribution to the cyber expertise in the industry.”