Northtrop Grumman Corp., in collaboration with King Saud University in Riyadh, hosted its second annual cybersecurity competition last week.
The competition, known as CyberArabia, was designated for students across Saudi Arabia’s universities. The program is part of the company’s goal of growing cyber education and workforce development in the industry. The competition featured approximately 140 participants.
“We are very pleased with the growth and success of CyberArabia this year,” Walid Abukhaled, chief executive of Northrop Grumman’s Middle East Region, said. “Any lasting solution to the threats posed by cyber attacks begins with a foundation in science, technology, engineering and math education coupled with cyber security awareness and training. We were delighted to work with the outstanding students across the Kingdom and faculty of King Saud University to once again bring this unique and powerful program to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Students used a simulated Windows system as instructions demonstrated cybersecurity principles such as encryption, account management, firewalls and anti-malware.
The competition was modeled after the U.S. CyberPatriot Youth Cyber Defense Competition, a program created by the U.S. Air Force Association and presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation.