Korea's Best of the Best Program

An RSA conference chair, Hugh Thompson described a program in Korea designed to create cyber warriors at the Korean Information Technology Research Institute (KITRI) in an article in SC Magazine.  Note:  the full article is available at:  http://www.scmagazine.com//security-gangnam-style/article/332080/.  KITRI is a government funded research institute that offers a program called the “Best of the Best” (also known as BoB) that allows the best and brightest students from local high schools and colleges to participate in this highly selective cyber security program to defend South Korea from cyber hackers and cyber threats.  

South Korea has suffered from a growing number of cyber-attacks over the past few years.  The combined number of cyber-attacks from domestic and foreign sources are up from 24,000 in 2008 to 40,000 cases in 2012 according to the Korean Internet Security Agency.  One attack targeted financial institutions in South Korea that impacted millions of bank customers from using their credit cards or ATMs for more than a week.  The increasing trend has increased the importance of protecting resources in Korea.

In the SC Magazine article Mr Thompson described the KITRI program to be very thorough.  “Walking around you quickly notice a large room in the corner that looks more like a television studio than a workspace for the cyber elite. There's a podium, television cameras and a press-conference-like arrangement of seats. “What's that?” I asked, after giving a lecture to the students, expecting to hear about some leasing arrangement they had with a local broadcaster. But instead, I learned that the Best of the Best are expected to be expert communicators as well as expert researchers. They are taught how to express their ideas in front of a crowd, how to handle media interviews and how to communicate the value of security to business and government leaders. Some of the participants are sent to international cyber security gatherings like RSA Conference to get a global perspective. KITRI is not only training the next generations of security leaders, its creating ambassadors for the field. KITRI's first crop of students are preparing to make their way into South Korean businesses and government agencies – the idea being that securing large South Korean businesses is critical to ensuring the growth and prosperity of the nation.”

The KITRI program might offer Universities in the United States other focus areas that cyber security professionals should be well versed in to deal with a rapidly changing environment.  Let's make more BoBs in the United States!!  

The Seoul South Korea skyline.  Image credit:  http://www.exploringkorea.com/population-of-south-korea/seoul-city-skyline/