UK Government aims to inspire the next generation of ‘cyber defenders’ during lockdown

In a bid to take advantage of a captive audience of teenagers during lockdown, the UK Government has today launched a virtual cyber school aimed at encouraging young people across the UK to test their mettle and see if they have what it takes to become one of the next generation of ‘professional cyber defenders’.

Through the cyber discovery virtual classroom, teenagers between 13 and 18 can access over 200 free cyber security challenges to see how they fare with a range of skills-based tests including code cracking, forensic investigation and cyber-criminal profiling.

Our director of professional services, Colin Gillingham welcomes the news: “At NCC Group our mission is to make society safer and more secure and we are passionate about shining a light on initiatives that encourage children to think about a career in cyber security and help them to prepare for the future.

This is a fantastic opportunity for teenagers to get a glimpse into some of the fun and varied aspects of our industry.

Hopefully it will inspire teenagers who have never even considered a career in cyber security before and keep them interested throughout lockdown and beyond.”

Alongside the challenges, a series of webinars will also take place to give an introduction to some of the key security disciplines such as digital forensics, cryptography and Linux.

You can find out more about the initiative here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-virtual-cyber-school-gives-teens-chance-to-try-out-as-cyber-security-agents-from-home