Cyber Boot Camp Kicks Off

The nation's future cybersecurity workers are heading to cyber boot camp this summer as part of an effort to relieve a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Federal Computer Week reports that the U.S. Cyber Challenge, now in its second year, will host more than 200 students at colleges in five states.

Since its launch in 2009, the Cyber Challenge program -- which identifies future cyber professionals at the high school level and below and invests in their educational and professional development -- has grown from 55 students to 260 students this year. The goal is to eventually identify at least 10,000 of the most highly-skilled, capable people in the nation to become the next generation of cyber warriors.

The boot camp program is geared mostly toward college students to help expand interest in cybersecurity and to encourage the development of university degree programs for students graduating from high school and moving on to college.

"The Cyber Challenge is having a profoundly interesting effect on the civilian side in identifying and nurturing the talent," Alan Paller, research director at the SANS Institute, told Wired Workplace late last month. "This has been fascinatingly effective."

Still, Paller noted that whether the Cyber Challenge will move fast enough or even achieve the goal of identifying 10,000 students is still in question. "What's cool about this is you don't have to work five years to get there," he says. "It's more like sports than academics. A great basketball player doesn't necessarily have to go to high school and college; they can earn the right to go straight to the pros."