RADBROKE Hall played host to some of the UK’s brightest minds this weekend, as 30 cyber enthusiasts battled it out in a cyber security competition.

The Over Peover home of Barclays Technology Centre was the location for the latest Cabinet Office-backed Cyber Security Challenge UK event, with contestants comprising of school and university students as well as those looking to change career.

Competitors adopted the role of interns at a fictitious cyber security firm, defending it from a cyber-attack triggered by an insider.

Concluding the 2017 Cyber Secure Challenge UK programme, the event bids to unearth hidden cyber talent and fill public and private sector security roles to fill a vital skills gap. Such roles average around £60,000 per year after training.

Troels Oerting, chief security officer at Barclays Group, said: “The best way to learn about cyber security is to engage in realistic scenarios, such as the competition that we’ve just hosted.

“Saturday’s event created a scenario that really tested a candidate’s ability to perform under pressure, think strategically, work as a team and display leadership skills.

“A career in cyber security requires various skills, including the ability to second-guess hackers and make critical decisions quickly.

“It was very encouraging to see students so immersed in solving the challenge we set them, and I wish all the candidates the very best in their careers.”

In the scenario, mirroring recent high-profile attacks, the ‘interns’ had to spring into action after a hacking group launched a large-scale cyber-attack on the company, stealing confidential technology, source code and client data.

The story saw hackers demand a ransom of £10m to prevent releasing the data to the press. Competitors had to infiltrate and stop the fictional hacker group in order to destroy the leaked information before it could be released.

The winning team was Team Wormhole, comprised of Carolyn Yates, Isabel Whistlecroft, Kajusz Dykiel, Peter Campbell and Waldo Woch.

Nigel Harrison, acting chief executive of Cyber Security Challenge UK, said: “This year’s scenarios have been varied in nature in order to demonstrate the range of cyber threats that this nation faces as well as the sheer breadth of sectors that need cyber security professionals – from banking and finance, to automotive and even retail.

“Sponsors like Barclays make this possible and, in turn, help to open the door to dozens more careers. I would like to encourage any budding cyber security specialist, or ‘white hat hackers’, to consider applying for our competitions.”