Facing real-time cyber-attacks – in our cyber challenge

We pitted four MOD teams against each other in our cyber labs. Putting even the most experienced cyber defenders through their paces – who would reign cyber champion?

Step up to the cyber challenge

We put cyber crusaders through their paces in our cyber labs. Think you’ve got what it takes to solve critical problems under pressure – think on your feet – and quash cyber threats? The MOD did. They pitted four teams against each other to see who would reign cyber champion.

The Inter-Services Cyber Network Defense Challenge

The MOD took part in the Inter-Services Cyber Network Defense Challenge. Four teams from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Civil Service – competed against each other for the coveted Challenge Champion award at our state-of-the-art Cyber Lab in London.

It wasn’t just their technical skills that got put through their paces – they needed precise communication, rapid decision making, and (above all) teamwork to be crowned champion.

Face real-time cyber attacks

Over four days, the teams experienced carefully constructed cyber challenges. Our hands-on challenges are designed to test the best people in cyber security. It’s called our Capture the Flag event – focusing on teaching experienced cyber professionals who detect and respond to cyber-attacks.

We’ve created a purpose-built, state-of-the-art Cyber Lab – so the competing teams learned in a way that no other training can compete with. Through collaboration, competition and simulation, those that attended experienced real-time cyber-attacks in a safe, controlled environment.

How does it work

Working against the clock, the teams worked together to solve cyber security challenges – quickly deploying solutions to solve the tasks. When a task was solved, they’d ‘capture the flag’ and earn points in their bid to be crowned champions.

But they weren’t left completely to their own devices. Our expert cyber tutors provided guidance and support throughout – to help everyone get the most out of the experience.

Four days of challenges

Day 1: Working as a team on crisis management and OSINT in cyber defense and forensics – testing prioritization and communication skills.

Day 2: Hunt the threats – advanced labs with a complex labyrinth of systems, testing even the most experienced cyber defenders.

Day 3: Four rounds of challenges – including cryptographic puzzles, decoding data, securing compromised systems. Pushing their capabilities to the limit.

Day 4: Intensive real-time attacks – arguably the most hotly contested day, with rewards scored by teams when they identified and secured vulnerabilities. Every second of system downtime costs ‘money’.

Cyber challenger feedback

“We were given multiple time-sensitive tasks, requiring us to employ clear communication and engage the versatile skills of our team to meet the demands of the scenario. The event provided a clear opportunity to develop my technical skills and my leadership skills.”

“This was an amazing opportunity to represent my team and understand my own skills, leadership and personal capability for cyber.”