Hacking, or the process in which security measures are bypassed to give someone unauthorised access over someone else’s account/ computer system, has always seemed cool – but more often than not, it carries negative connotations for society. Meet Martin and Mateusz from the Swedish National Hacking Team, who spoke to us about what hacking is, and how it can be used for good.
A nation-wide team of hackers
The Hacking Team was launched with the support of the Swedish government through KGH, as a project that tries to get more people into the field of cybersecurity. Martin explains that this is done via competitions where experts select the best students, who then go on to compete in the European finals.
Towards more cybersecurity experts in Europe: boosting cyber capabilities & skills
Since hacking involves exploiting system vulnerabilities to gain access, hackers often have the best knowledge of the latest security measures and strategies to circumnavigate them. Getting youngsters interested in hacking holds huge potential for reaching EU-wide cybersecurity goals, and bringing more experts to the field. So how can we encourage young people to choose a career in cybersecurity?
‘There is actually a competition for newcomers, called ‘Capture The Flag’, or CTF. It’s the Swedish Championship for High Schoolers and a good entry point to the industry’, says Mateusz, the project leader, who was introduced to the hacking scene precisely through this competition when he was still back in high-school. He liked it so much that he just had to take part in the organisation. ‘We build challenges for newcomers to try and teach them about all the different technologies, and if they qualify, they can take part in the final event – and have a chance to be selected for the CTF competition’. According to Mateusz, this is fun for both participants and organisers.
The hacking competition also enjoys massive popularity. ‘Around 160 people take part in the competition for juniors. For the senior contests, requiring some knowledge, it’s up to 5.000 people’. Martin explains that the organisers select people from both categories and 40 people can go on to compete against one another in the next round. The 10 best hackers from each group then become part of the Swedish National Hacking Team. Martin explains that the whole process places the focus on building a diversified team, and ensuring knowledge transfers from senior to junior team members and newcomers.
Martin’s path is similar. He also entered the hacking scene through one of these competitions, and now, too, organises hacking contests. His interest sparked at a young age – ‘I must have been around 8 years old when I became frustrated that I couldn’t download these online sheets needed to play small games, and I got very interested in how the computer worked.’
Mateusz found out about the hacking competition through his Maths teacher. ‘She knew I was interested in programming, and that there were no IT or programming classes in my school. She showed me the website of the competition and said I should go check it out. So I did, and I loved it. I reached the finals 3 years in a row before I joined the organisers. It just so happened that it was at the same time that they started making this ‘Capture the Flag’ Competition, which I also tried because security can be fun. I had always been wondering how to go about hacking something, but never knew where to start. This helped me start, and I found it even more fun, so I kept going.’
Getting girls into the world of cyber – mission impossible?
As great as the hacking initiative sounds, it is not immune to challenges suffered by many in the cybersecurity field. Martin explains that although the impact of the competition is big, one of its biggest struggles is getting more girls to take part. ‘It’s really hard to reach girls with these competitions. You need to start at an early age, while also fostering a more stable view of society and not be bound by the still-traditional barriers we have today’.
However, Martin warns against boiling down the issue to the simple argument of ‘girls don’t like hacking’. He says there are many components to it. ‘One reason may be that games are mostly directed towards boys, and because there is a lot more choice for boys, it’s more likely that they spend more time tinkering their computer than girls, which creates this weird conundrum’.
An industry in need of a reform tweak: bumping up hacking’s reputation
According to Mateusz, the key in revamping the world of hacking and cybersecurity so more people become interested in it lies in bringing in new people – whether this is those looking to reskill into a new career, or those with already some IT knowledge. ‘I try to educate newcomers so they can go to some other place and drive positive change in whatever they end up doing. I also try to encourage them to keep learning and also think about further education. It’s all about kickstarting it, so you get past that first step. Then you almost instantly realise that this is actually something insanely fun to do.
‘And we’re also trying to embed all these ethical aspects into the programs, teach the right way to do it, and try and avoid these hacker groups that just cause damages to society’, adds Martin. He strongly recommends taking some of the training approaches developed in the context of the project and using them to train company employees: the training is generic, starts from the very start, requiring no prior knowledge, and builds a solid foundation for technical understanding.
From 0 to a career in cyber through hacking competitions
For Martin, working in cybersecurity feels like the dream. ‘Right now, I’m in the Red team at work and I work on developing hacking simulations, which we successfully test in big financial corporations. I enjoy it because I get to do it legally and see the results of my work, i.e. helping systems get more secure.’ In Mateusz’s case, education – and continuing education – remains a top priority. ‘I’m studying electrical engineering at Chalmers University in Gothenburg right now. With the competitions, I had a lot of networking exposure, and I don’t think I would have any issues if I wanted to go into the security field. This is something I really think about doing. But let’s see where the wind will take me’.
Both Martin and Mateusz agree that the ‘Capture the Flag’ contest is a best practice initiative when it comes to sparking youngsters’ interest in a career in cybersecurity and hacking for good. Martin spent so long hacking when he first started competing, that even his school performance suffered. Does he regret not studying harder? Yes. Was it worth it? Also yes.
Source: European Digital Skills & Jobs Platform
