Best of the Best
As information security is increasing in importance over time, the Korea Information Technology Research Institute (KITRI) took a very big step to nourish Korea’s next generation security leaders in 2012. They aim to find talented youth, and ultimately make them so-called “white hat hackers.”
Since July 5, 2012, KITRI has been operating its next-generation security leaders program “Best of the Best” every year.
The Best of the Best program is designed to grow highly-trained information security professionals who can enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s information security industry, and ultimately contribute to building a strong national security system against international cyber terror. Many actual field workers, including ex-white hat hackers, current security professionals, and police officers specialized in cyber investigations are invited as mentors in order to deliver their actual know-how and nourish participants to become practical security professionals with the right insight to the country as well as creativity.
Participants of this program include college students (or graduates) and high Photograph of the 2nd BOB welcoming ceremony in December 2013. school students who have won hacking contests or been recommended by each school. They also take written examinations and in-depth interviews with a competition rate of 100:1. Finally, after two months of survival training, approximately ten individuals from digital forensics, security consulting, mobile security, convergence security, and cloud security are selected. The final ten receive a Best of the Best certificate from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
The BOB program consists of 6 months of basic education and experience-based courses and two months of project acceleration courses. The advanced curriculum brings in top international security professionals to teach global security trends and security technology. All the courses are taught on a group basis, either entire or mentoring. Advisory and mentoring panels with Korea’s top information security professionals evaluate each participant and choose survivors. At each stage, project capability tests and cyber war preparation tests are given.
KITRI starts the 3rd BOB program on July 10, 2014 after the 1st in 2012 and the 2nd in 2013. This time, a total of 1,080 people applied, and the competition rate reached 9:1.
Especially, many talented individuals who made it into DEFCON, the world’s top hacking contest, or other domestic and international hacking contests and IT contests applied. People who gave presentations at the security weakness analysis conference (16 percent) and have security-related thesis or patents (7 percent) also applied.
By age, people older than their 20’s account for 74 percent. Teenage applicants are 26 percent, pointing out that teenagers are becoming more interested in information security. Eighty-three percent are males, and 17 percent are females. But female applicants increased by 7 percent from last year’s 10 percent.
The excellence of the BOB program, renowned domestically as well as internationally, induced many people to apply. An official at KITRI said that the superiority of the BOB program which includes 1:1 practical coaching, Korea’s top professional networks, and survival auditions has become very popular both domestically and internationally for the last 2 years. The official also mentioned that competition this year will be much more intense than any other time.
KITRI has particularly high expectations about this year’s talented applicants. It is preparing a stronger and more effective program based on previous years’ know-now. KITRI improved education facilities, expanded support for non-Seoul residents, and intensified the evaluation criteria and applying rules.
KITRI has been promoting various career programs linked to military service, start-up companies, schools, and jobs so that BOB winners could actively engage in the information security field as next-generation leaders. In addition, KITRI has been funding participants’ technology training and social contribution activities by creating a security technology association. This association provides free consulting to securityvulnerable people such as small companies, analyzes security weaknesses with other organizations, participates in international contests, and gives technology lectures.
Yoo Joon-sang, president of KITRI, said that security professionals will be needed by every industry. He claims that information security is a brain war, and that to win that war, all we need is one good professional who can block attacks from a million hackers. He is always trying to find a better way to gather many talented individuals. He also added that he will create a sustainable human resources program that can manage all BOB participants over time.
Right after president Yoo took office at KITRI, he started BOB, insisting on “having 100,000 security professionals on stand-by.” Beginning from the 1st BOB program in 2012, he is operating 3 information security professional programs including Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Certified students are performing very well domestically and internationally in the IT industry. Some of them won information security contests by analyzing and reporting the security weaknesses of IT products and services. KITRI will officially become a “security professionals’ academy” based on the performances and education systems so far.