Manchester students compete at London cybersecurity event

Manchester students have taken part in a high-profile London event aimed at increasing awareness of cybersecurity. Students from both the School of Computer Science and the School of Mathematics competed in the Cyber 9/12 Challenge, which is set by the international think tank Atlantic Council.

Rozita Karami and Pelagia Ntoskori (Computer Science) joined Cesare Ardito (Mathematics) in The University of Manchester's qualifying team: Cyberhive. A total of 17 teams from 16 universities competed over two days in London's BT Tower to present the best treatment for a developing scenario.

The fictional scenario involved orchestrating a fix before a cyber attack could exploit a security vulnerability in the software that the UK oil and gas industry relies on for distribution.

Although the Manchester team didn't make it into the semi-finals, it excelled in teamwork - not only in preparation but in its presentation to judges drawn from the military, national and international government, banking and consultancy.

Competitors were rewarded by two days of networking opportunities with names at the forefront of international cybersecurity operations, including Lord George Robertson, former Secretary General of NATO.

The Manchester team's mentor Dr Daniel Dresner, Lecturer in the School of Computer Science, said he was very proud of the students' performance and looks forward to taking a new cohort to next year's competition.