The Teenage Anti-Hacking Revolution

As modern life becomes increasingly reliant on technology, connectivity and the internet, new and highly complicated loopholes, back doors and tunnels are being created by unscrupulous hackers to undermine businesses, banks and government sectors.

The new kids on the block

In a bid to increase national cyber security, 5,700 UK students aged 14 and over will begin to spend up to 4 hours a week from September 2017 learning the ins and outs of this incredible technology and how to defend it against attack.

The risk is deemed so severe that cyber attack is now listed as one of the top four threats to national security. Roughly 58,000 people currently work in cyber security in the UK, however, a Commons committee has warned that a skills shortage is undermining confidence in the UK’s cyber defences.

Funding secured

£20m has been set aside by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to cover the cost of this forward thinking programme. An apprenticeship scheme has also been set up to support employers in recruiting and training individuals aged 16 and over who have a “natural flair for problem-solving”, according to Matt Hancock, the UK’s Digital and Cultural Minister.

It is hoped that these new initiatives will help introduce children to the glowing prospects they could face with a career in cyber security, as well as safeguarding the UK’s interests for generations to come.