Will Shackleton has been crowned the winner of the 2014 Cyber Security Challenge a competition that simulated a cyber attack in Britain.
The 19-year-old is a computer student and said now he's won the competition, he would like to be able to "do some good in the world."
The competition, hosted by intelligence and security organisation GCHQ, aims to find skilled cyber defenders who would be able to protect the country against a cyber attack if it were ever to happen on a scale experts are unable to deal with at present.
Kevin Williams, partnership engagement and national cyber crime capabilities manager at the National Crime Agency, explained how important it is for new experts to be recruited to deal with high-level cyber attacks.
"As the UK's lead on tackling cyber crime, the National Crime Agency needs to be in the minds of those wishing to pursue a career within this sector. Events such as the Cyber Security Challenge provide a fantastic opportunity for us to, not only test the skills of those taking part but also provide them with pathways which allow them to exploit their sought-after cyber skills," Williams said.
42 people took part in the two-day competition at the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall and were kept on their toes with challenges simulating real-life attack situations.
The candidates had previously been through an online qualification programme with a series of online competitions in the run up to the face-to-face event.
The Cyber Security Challenge opened on Friday with a breaking news report describing a cyber attack on London's financial district that brought down online banking platforms, meaning new stock market flotations could not be completed and BACS systems were compromised.
The challenges were innovated by cyber security experts from BT, GCHQ, the National Crime Agency (NCA), Juniper Networks and Lockheed Martin and continued throughout the two-day period.
Mark Hughes, CEO of BT Security, said, "Getting security right and protecting businesses, government and the general public against cyber attacks is vitally important. We at BT understand just how critical it is to ensure the right people are found, trained and ready to take on key roles in the cyber security profession."
