SANS London 2011 stages contest to test the real-world skills of cyber security professionals
London, UK: On the 8-9th December 2011 – At SANS London 2011, Europe’s largest IT security training event, NetWars will be launched for the first time in the UK as the regions' best cyber security professionals go head to head.
Challenges built to test applicable cyber skills have never been more critical. This year has seen an unprecedented number of cyber attacks, many of which have garnered significant media coverage and damaged the reputation of enterprises and organisations alike. Preventing these attacks requires skilled cyber professionals, which the UK is severely lacking. In its 1st year in the UK, NetWars participants compete in a mock enterprise environment to test their defensive, analytic, and offensive cyber skills applying the real-life skills they need to succeed in protecting their organisations.
NetWars will test a wide range of skills including OS hardening, application vulnerabilities, penetration testing, malware analysis, packet analysis, and more. The difference from every other security challenge out there? These skills will be tested in a fun and deeply realistic, practical environment that will separate those who can talk about security from those that can really deliver. NetWars draws on the considerable experience of SANS, building in modern examples of security issues seen in the field - it is sure to be fun and challenging for even the industry’s best.
"In SANS award-winning courses, attendees consistently rate our hands-on exercises as the most valuable part of the course. With NetWars, we have really raised the ante, as participants learn while working through the various challenge levels, ALL HANDS-ON, with a focus on skills information security professionals can use in their jobs every day," said Ed Skoudis, Instructor with the SANS Institute and the Director of NetWars.
“NetWars is all about testing the skills in an applied fashion that could actually be used by the corporations, police forces, and government agencies that have been attacked and breached throughout 2011. There are often too many theoretical discussions on cyber security, missing the value of firsthand experience,” explains James Lyne, a Director of SANS EMEA. “The maiden launch of NetWars in the UK is extremely exciting as a challenge that will test even the most proficient cyber security professionals. This is a fantastic chance to show just how good we are in the UK.
There are other good initiatives like the UK Cyber Security Challenge which are trying to increase the pool of talent in cyber security; NetWars is all about raising the game of cyber professionals even higher."
“Although NetWars is played as an interactive, competitive challenge, it simulates the real world,” Steve Armstrong, SANS certified instructor, points out that, “The skills needed to succeed in the tournament are critical for IT security professionals to learn and be able to deploy if they are to meet modern cyber based attacks.”
In Lyne's view, Europe, in general, has not made cyber security an early career choice compared to other geographies such as Asia where cyber security universities are training a structured curriculum that is equipping practitioners with a wide skill set early on. “It will therefore be very interesting to see how we compare to others playing the competition internationally.”
If you want to participate in NetWars at SANS London you can find more details at http://www.sans.org/london-2011/description.php?tid=4667, including the entry requirements to play. Registration to take part in NetWars on its UK debut is completely free for all students attending a 5 or 6 day class at London and can be added either through their SANS Portal accounts or by registering their interest, including their registration number, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. There will be a charge to participate at future NetWars events.
This year’s NetWars is expected to host participants from over a dozen countries and on top of bragging rights, there will be prizes too. “We still have places left and the equipment requirements are minimal - the challenge is not about having the latest software or hardware – it is all about the skill and knowledge to put theory into practice against your peers. Come along, have some fun, and sharpen your skills!” Lyne adds.