Consortium sponsors competitions to develop cybersecurity workforce

A consortium of cybersecurity leaders in government and industry announced an initiative on Monday that pits young adults against one another in competitions to determine who has the best cyber defense skills, with the most talented becoming eligible to receive college scholarships and employment with federal agencies and security firms.

The U.S. Cyber Challenge was unveiled today by a consortium led by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that counts the Defense Department, National Security Agency, SANS Institute and several supporting universities and aerospace companies as participants.

"This is one of the few good news stories in security," said Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, a nonprofit cybersecurity research organization in Bethesda, Md. "A radical shortage of skilled cyber guardians and cyber warriors is making the United States unable to adequately defend our systems and unable to project power effectively in cyber space. [These] competitions will enable young people with the aptitude and interest in cybersecurity to showcase their talent and also offer pathways into very cool jobs."

The goal is to identify 10,000 young Americans who have the skills to serve as cybersecurity specialists and researchers by hosting national competitions that test aptitude in an array of cyber defense skills. The group announced the initiative one week after a report conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton and the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service highlighted the lack of skilled cybersecurity workers in the federal government.

The consortium kicked off the three national competitions using online virtual gaming and in-person challenges to test students' skills. The Air Force's CyberPatriot Defense Competition tests competitors' ability to defend a simulated corporate network from cyberattacks. Defense's Cyber Crime Center Digital Forensics Competition tests their skills in cyber investigations and forensics, and SANS Institute's NetWars Capture the Flag competition tests applicants' ability to identify vulnerabilities by penetrating a computer network.

The Air Force competition targets high school students, while Defense's and SANS' competitions target high school and college students.

"We need incredible insight and innovation -- smarts -- out of a set of people we haven't even identified yet," said Richard Schaeffer Jr., director of information assurance at the National Security Agency.

He projected that Defense and NSA will have to hire collectively as many as 5,000 technical professionals to support growing cybersecurity efforts, including the Air Force's Cyber Command, which will stand up on Oct. 1.

"We need people who understand that looking at ones and zeros is more than looking at ones and zeros; who can look across a broad expanse of [cyber] events and say, 'I think this is what that means and what the data is telling me.' " Schaeffer said. "Where are these people going to come from? The pipeline is reasonably robust today but needs to be more robust next year, the year after, and the year after."

Promising candidates from the national competitions will attend cyber camps at universities to hone their skills and participate in live competitions among their peers that identify the best of the best. Those that demonstrate a true expertise qualify for scholarship opportunities, internships and employment with federal agencies and cybersecurity companies.

"The main strength will be the camps," Paller said. "Once you find these kids you have to nurture them."

So far, participation in the competitions has come mainly from word of mouth, though the consortium plans to market to high schools and universities. A number of states are participating in the effort by sponsoring statewide competitions and cyber camps, including Delaware, New York and California.

"The need is out there, and [states] want to play if we have the proper vehicle," said Steven Shirley, executive director of Defense's Cyber Crime Center.