Winners are grinners at the inaugural cyber battle & strategy launch

To celebrate the launch of the NSW Government’s Cyber Strategy, Stone & Chalk hosted a Cyber Battle in conjunction with With You With Me (WYWM) powered by XM Cyber, bringing novices and professionals together to compete alongside talented Aussie Veterans in a capture-the-flag-competition for the opportunity to win a host of amazing prizes.

The battle saw participants hack their way through a unique set of challenges, with Team Neptune and Team Mercury going neck to neck for most of the battle.

On the last leg, Team Mercury led the way in winning the competition with Matthew Parkhill, a veteran from the WYWM Academy, Sam Archer, Patrick Nappa and Viktor Kuczma.

As the cost of cyber crime to Australia is estimated to be around $17 billion annually, businesses and government are focused on stepping it up to ensure networks are continuously being made secure through ongoing tests.

A lively panel discussion was held during the battle in an adjacent room featuring Dr Maria Milosavljevia, Damien Sillane, Amy O’Connor and Adi Ashkenazy (VP Product of XM Cyber) moderated by our very own General Manager of Partnerships and Innovation, Mary Ramsay.

The panel discussed the importance of cyber security today, and how it will continue to be significant for the future, especially with more and more information being hosted online. A notion that resonated across all panel members was that cyber security is not just the IT department’s role. Instead, it is a shared responsibility across all members of an organisation. In fact, humans have been determined as the weakest link in cyber security because it only takes one error for an attacker to be successful.

The panel looked at the future of work, and how cyber security presents opportunities to collaborate as well as attract future talent to meet industry demand. The conversation highlighted that cyber security is more important than ever and needs to be taken seriously as anyone can be affected by cyber crime.

A big thank you to NSW Government – Department of Industry, With You With Me and XM Cyber who all made this event a big success.

If you're interested in getting involved in the next cyber battle, please contact Felipe, our Innovation & Partnerships Manager, via felipe@stoneandchalk.com.au

26 November 2018