Students prepare for elite security competition

Students from the School of Computing have been preparing themselves for a national security competition. Because the University of Kent is an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, its students are eligible to compete alongside students from prestigious universities such as Imperial, Cambridge and Oxford in the annual Inter-ACE Cyberchallenge.

In preparation, on Saturday 19 November, ten students attended the Inter-ACE Seminar in Cambridge. PhD student Tom Sloan, who has been coaching undergraduate and Master's students with the security skills, said: 'Capture the flag (CTF) events and training seminars have been a fantastic addition to cyber security education. Students are enthusiastic about them and always look to learn more.  These events really benefit the students and it certainly is great to see their skills improve.’

On Tuesday 22 November, a team of five students attended the Deloitte CTF finals. Tom added: 'The team really enjoyed their experience. It has taught them much about the scope of these events and they now know what to expect in the future to help them be more successful.'

Any student wishing to get involved in security competitions should contact Tom Sloan.

The School of Computing is a recognised leader in Cyber Security and has launched a Master's in Cyber Security starting in 2017 which is provisionally accredited by GCHQ.