LONDON – March 12, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 CyberCenturion competition following an exciting face-to-face final against the clock between 10 teams aged 12-18 years.
The CyberCenturion team winners were announced at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, London, where the finals were held following a daylong competition on March 8. Northrop Grumman leads CyberCenturion in partnership with Cyber Security Challenge U.K.
The overall winner of the CyberCenturion national finals was: St. George’s School, Edgbaston.
The runners-up were St. Paul’s School, Barnes and Frome College, Somerset.
Team category winners were:
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All male team winners - St. George's School, Edgbaston
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All female team winners - Bayside Comprehensive School, Gibraltar
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Mixed team winners – St. Paul’s School, Barnes
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Cadet team winners - Sandbach School Combined Cadet Force
The prize awarded to the overall winners was a visit to the U.S. to see Northrop Grumman’s facilities and learn more about cyber security. In addition, each of the winning teams received trophies and medals, and have the opportunity to build key networks with individuals in the industry who could help them work toward a career in cyber security.
“Creating greater awareness of STEM and building a more diverse workforce is a national imperative, and CyberCenturion is spearheading these efforts, helping to address the urgent need to foster the cyber talent of the future. CyberCenturion’s growth in popularity as a means of engaging talented young individuals curious about technology and cyber security has been amazing, and it is particularly pleasing to see diversity among the teams, with an all-girls team and a cadets team competing in the finals this year,” said Andrew Tyler, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Europe. “We congratulate our winners and all of the teams who took part in the competition on their achievements and look forward to the positive impact they will make in the future in addressing our global security challenges.”
“CyberCenturion is inspiring young people, early-on, from different locations, educational experiences and backgrounds to get excited about academics and careers in this much-needed field,” said Diane Miller, director, Global Cyber Education and Workforce Development Programs, Northrop Grumman. “We are proud to partner with the Air Force Association (AFA) on this critical STEM initiative.”
The 10 finalists were among teams from across the U.K. and Overseas Territories who competed in a series of intense qualifying rounds which took place during the last six months, to reach the finals. The competition scenario in the finals required the teams to adopt the persona of security experts working for a fictional gaming association that has been tasked with helping to secure the gaming industry after a spate of cyber security attacks. Competitors used their cyber security skills to identify vulnerabilities in the networks, make critical patches and defend the system against attacks.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, CyberCenturion is the U.K.'s first team-based cyber security contest specifically designed to attract 12-18 year olds. The competition aims to engage and inspire talented young people with an interest in cyber as a way to address the national skills gap in STEM subjects and encourage careers in cyber security.
CyberCenturion is the U.K. version of the proven CyberPatriot competition, part of a major U.S. national youth cyber STEM education programme presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation and created by the AFA. It is part of the company's commitment to promoting STEM education and to helping build the U.K.'s pool of diverse talent in cyber security. The CyberPatriot competition in the U.S. has already engaged more than 300,000 children, educating them on the opportunities in cyber security across the U.S. Eighty percent of those who have taken part in CyberPatriot now plan to pursue a higher education course in cyber or STEM.
The competition is one of many initiatives led by Northrop Grumman to help identify the best young cyber talent. Northrop Grumman is addressing the cyber talent issue around the world and in addition to CyberCenturion in Europe and CyberPatriot in the U.S., the company now also has CyberArabia in the Middle East.
The AFA is a nonprofit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association.
Cyber Security Challenge U.K. is a nationwide programme aimed at bringing more talented people into the cyber security profession and build a bigger U.K. cyber talent pool to help address the skills shortage that affects government bodies, businesses and citizens alike.
Northrop Grumman is a recognised leader in cyber resilience solutions with more than 30 years’ experience in cyber security and information assurance. The company is a member of CyberFirst and CyberInvest, and leads CyberCenturion. To find out more about CyberCenturion go to: http://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk/
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.