Teenager wins UK security champion title

LONDON, UK: A teenager and first-year student at Cambridge University has been named as the UK Cyber Security Champion.

The competition extended over a series of online and face-to-face security competitions over the past six months.

The finals saw about 30 contenders fighting for the title, but it was Jonathan Millican, originally from North Yorkshire, saw off competition. Millcan who is studying studying computer science said he had never considered specialising in cyber security until he won the prize.

Millican won the competition after participating on a IT security simulation, designed to mimic the strategies and operational decisions that would be part and parcel of a security professionals working environment.

“The Masterclass is designed to be a true representation of what cyber-security professionals are up against, said Roy Matthews, cyber defence lead at security firm Cassidian.

The cyber security competition, which is sponsored by industry heavyweights such as HP, QinetiQ and government listening post GCHQ, was intended to raise the profile of IT security and encourage young people to enter the profession.

“It is through initiatives such as this that organisations can continue to develop and maintain our leading edge in cyberspace by being able to recruit the right people with the right skills,” said Jonathan Hoyle, director general of cyber security at GCHQ.

Last year, the competition was won by Leeds-based postman Dan Summers, who subsequently joined the Royal Mail's cyber security team.