Cyber North: Defending the Digital World

Delta Academies Trust (Delta) and Northern Education Trust (NET) partnered once again to host the second Cyber North event on 10th November 2023, with a focus on cyber security and the exciting careers it offers to students. The event was a buzz, due to the success of the first Cyber North event back in 2022.

Cyber security is a growing field with many job opportunities. The demand for cyber security professionals is expected to grow by 33% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. Everyone who uses a computer or the internet is at risk of cyber-attacks. By learning about cyber security, students can protect themselves from identity theft, financial fraud, and other cyber threats.

Throughout the day, students engaged in competitive activities to uphold their Trust’s title as Cyber North champions. NET, the victors of the first event, faced pressure to defend their crown, while Delta strived to claim victory. The main activity of the day focused on students becoming ‘Digital Detectives’, and were tasked with extracting vital clues and information from a variety of physical and digital evidence using intelligence analysis, brute force email and password cracking, and message decryption techniques. Once all the clues had been cracked, students were able to identify the hacker and turn them over to the virtual police!

Collectively, students enjoyed the day and loved working on the various tasks to decipher the clues. One comment from a student at Kirk Balk Academy said the day had been a “thrilling experience” which has been full of “teamwork, code breaking and cyber security” which summed up the day perfectly.

Congratulations to all students from Delta and NET, who both earned a similar number of points throughout the day. However, NET teams claimed first and second place, retaining their crown as Cyber North champions!

The Cyber North event demonstrates Delta’s and NET’s commitment to providing students with a well-rounded education which not only includes core subjects, but also exposure to career advancements and how students can position themselves in the future landscape of the working world. By immersing students to the exciting field of cyber security, our Trusts empower them to protect themselves and their communities from cyber threats and learn about cyber security careers.