Cyber protection

2010-07-19 05:22

http://www.sbsun.com/business/ci_15535794 By Rebecca U. Cho Staff Writer The Sun 07/16/2010 A shortage of experts to protect the U.S. against hackers has led the government to cast a wide net for talent - and next week that net lands at Cal Poly Pomona. The 22 winners of a statewide competition that sought to identify Californians with a talent for cyber security - the protection of computers and networks against attacks - are set to gather at the university for a weeklong cyber camp beginning Monday. Kevan Carstensen, 23, an Upland resident and a graduate student at Cal Poly Pomona, and Sean Kooyman, 20, a Yucaipa resident and a senior at Cal State San Bernardino, are both participants. Delaware and New York are also hosting camps, organized through the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a nonprofit initiative to build up 10,000 Americans over the next few years to enter the fields of computer security. "Cyber security is a growing field," said Karen Evans, the national director of the U.S. Cyber Challenge. "There's a limited number of people with the right skill set to do these jobs. We want to create a framework to generate buzz and interest." About 1,000 people in the U.S. have the skills to work effectively in cyber security, but the need is for about 30,000, said Evans, who previously managed information technology for the George W. Bush administration. The Center for Strategic & International Studies, a bipartisan nonprofit based in Washington, launched the challenge. [...] _________________________________________________________________ Attend Black Hat USA 2010, hosted at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada July 24-29th, offering over 60 training sessions and 11 tracks of Briefings from security industry elite. To sign up visit http://www.blackhat.com

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