UK Girls take up cyber challenge

Homeland February 28, 2017

The UK’s girls have taken up the challenge to protect the nations cyber interests.

Invited to join the National Cyber Security Centre’s competition: CyberFirst, the nation’s teenage girls have given a terrific response, with more than 5,000 signed up already.

The competition went live on Monday 27^th February, and the number of registrants jumped from 3,595 to 5,099 over the weekend. The competition will seek out the best and brightest candidates to help the UK protect its cyber space in the future through a series of online challenges.

Successful teams will progress to the final in March, with the eventual winners walking away with individual prizes and school IT equipment worth some £1,000.

Alison Whitney, the deputy director for digital services at the NCSC, said: “It is fantastic to see the growing interest in cyber skills among teenagers, and we are delighted that hundreds of teachers have registered thousands of girls to take part.

“Cyber security is increasingly important to help people live and work online, and we hope CyberFirst Girls will help young women develop skills that could lead to a dynamic and rewarding career.

“Having worked in cyber security for over a decade I would recommend it to any young woman hoping to make a positive impact on the world.”

With a five-year £1.9B national plan to grow and develop cyber skills and talent, the UK Government has shown it is fully committed to defending against cyber threats and addressing the cyber skills gap.

The competition is being run by the new National Cyber Security Centre, which has been established to provide a single, central body for cyber security at a national level. It will manage national cyber security incidents, carry out real-time threat analysis and provide tailored sectoral advice.

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