ACSC and Splunk to host BOTS challenge

Australia’s largest ever cybersecurity challenge will be hosted by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Splunk.

The Boss of the Security Operations Centre (BOTS) event will challenge the defensive skills of 350 cybersecurity analysts and engineers from industry, academia and government.

Participants will test themselves using Splunk and other cybersecurity tools and techniques.

“You cannot underestimate the significance of this event in educating and encouraging a superior cybersecurity skillset in Australia,” said Alastair MacGibbon, Head of the ACSC.

“As the threats evolve, so must our response.”

Threats to cyber safety and security are intensifying as cybercriminals target phones and computers at home and at work, infrastructure and community.

Cybercrime is costing the Australian economy up to $1 billion a year, as well as damaging wellbeing, reputation and business and employment opportunities.

“Six of Australia’s capital cities will be competing, concurrently. This challenge is known as Boss of the SOC, and the rivalry is as intense as State of Origin.”

The ACSC’s newly opened headquarters in Canberra and network of Joint Cyber Security Centres (JCSCs) in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide are hosting the event.

This is the second Splunk Capture the Flag challenge to be held in the JCSCs, after a Brisbane-based event in May attracted approximately 60 participants.

“Every incident and scenario in this cyber challenge is based on something that Australians, as customers or security analysts, are likely to have seen or experienced,” MacGibbon said.

“But what is the best and quickest answer to the threat?”

The Boss of the SOC (Security Operations Centre) Investigation Workshop for Splunk app was built to help security professionals learn more about how to use Splunk to hunt the threat, map their findings and better answer the questions heading their way from decision-makers.

The JCSC teams and Splunk teams in each state are coordinating and preparing for the event. Live results will be available as the competition progresses, and the winner will be announced at the conclusion of the event.

The mission can be compared to hunting for a needle in a haystack. Playing as blue teams of defenders, participants work through a series of questions to hunt the adversary, score points for speed and technique, and ultimately emerge as cyber champions. Participants can buy hints or just use their wits and skill.

“This event speaks to the whole mission of the ACSC, which is to bring people together across the nation to test and improve their technical skills and, in doing so, raise the cybersecurity resilience of Australia,” MacGibbon said.

“Good luck to all those battling to be Boss of the SOC!”

The JCSC program brings together business, the research community and state, territory and Australian Government agencies in a collaborative environment and partnership.

With their partners working together, the JCSC’s are able to share timely, sensitive and important information relating to cyber threat and cyber intelligence, contributing to a collective and thorough understanding of the cybersecurity environment.

Image credit: ©duncanandison/Dollar Photo Club

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