The UK’s first CyberThreat 2018 conference was held on 27 February, in London, bringing together cyber security practitioners from the public and private sector to understand how to combat the growing challenge of online security.

Hosted jointly by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the SANS Institute, the 2-day event was focused on the truly technical side of cyber defence and incident response.

The specialists who attended heard a range of talks, from world-renowned industry practitioners to rising industry stars. In between sessions, delegates took on a series of interactive exercises designed to test their cyber mettle, such as Hackathons, challenge booths and a two-day Capture The Flag competition. 

CyberThreat 2018 aimed to help foster a world-leading cyber security community in the UK, encouraging the sharing of bleeding edge techniques, case studies from the real world and new tools. Further emphasis is being placed on cooperation between private and public sectors, as is demonstrated through the partnership between the NCSC and the SANS Institute.

Paul Chichester, Director for Operations at the NCSC, said:

“CyberThreat 2018 is part of delivering on the NCSC’s commitment to encourage collaboration between the public and private sector.

“Our aim is to foster a vibrant UK cyber security technical community that shares its knowledge of the threats we face and best practice techniques that help us understand it.

“This community of defenders will share knowledge, expertise and best practices to understand and ultimately reduce the harm to the UK, making it the safest place to live and work online.”

James Lyne, Head of Research and Development at the SANS Institute, said:

 “CyberThreat18 aligns perfectly with the SANS mission to help drive greater education and understanding of how to tackle the cyber threats that face us all on the Internet today. We have been very pleased to work with the NCSC to create the agenda and bring experts and practitioners together for these two days.

“The Summit promises to be rich in real-world experience, blending insights from keynote speakers and experts with emerging talent, and sharing experience and new insights into how to tackle new and emerging cyber threats.”

Due to the advanced level of the material on offer, delegates were expected to have deep technical knowledge.