Britain is hosting cyber wargames in a decommissioned warship

When you hear about wargames you probably picture dozens, hundreds, even thousands of armed soldiers and military vehicles fighting mock battles. While all of this still happens, a new kind of wargames has become common, one which involves throwing a bunch of tech experts together and give them a cyberattack scenario to counter. Britain will be holding wargames exactly like that in a decommissioned warship right in the heart of London. 

Hunkered around tables in a stuffy cabin aboard the battleship HMS Belfast, 42 of the most talented amateur ‘cyber defenders’ in the UK are racing to avert a plot by a cyber terrorist group to seize control of a naval gun system, which is pointing at London’s City Hall. These individuals are battling against the clock to find out how the group, known as the Flag Day Associates, broke into the network, and wrestle back control of the gun systems before it is too late. They are also searching for similar ‘holes’ within the IT system of a water treatment and manufacturing facility to ensure the terrorist group is not able to infiltrate these as well. This is the Cyber Security Challenge Masterclass – the culmination of more than 10 months of qualifying rounds for the Cyber Security Challenge UK, which aims to bring talented people into the cyber security profession and address a critical skills shortage. Thousands of registered participants have been whittled down to 42 of the UK’s most talented amateur cyber defenders, and on Friday night one will be crowned the new Cyber Security Challenge UK Champion.