UK.gov to train up 11-year-old cyberwarriors

British schoolkids as young as 11 will be trained in cyber security as part of a new drive to protect the UK from digital threats. The government will produce learning materials designed to get 11- to 14-year-olds up to speed on cyber security. If the kids show a willingness to strap on a keyboard and fight in some foreign …

[Anonymous Coward]

Errm .....

Words fail me really. Just carry on.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Really so no more aiming and setting career for middle management roles?

Should they first they learn ITIL and do a prince course ?

Will they be taught on Microsoft on how to deal with cyber security ?

So many questions

[TheOtherHobbes]

What could possibly go wrong?

[James 51]

*sigh*. Presumably they can all go to work for BT.

[Anonymous Coward]

If it works.... double edged sword much?

To know how to secure a system properly, you probably have to know how to break a system, and these are probably immature children...

[Wzrd1]

Re: If it works.... double edged sword much?

"...and these are probably immature children..."

True, rather like the military. Minimal adult supervision.

[NorthernCoder]

Obvious Star Wars reference

Am I the only one thinking they might be training an Anakin Cyberwalker, in the hope that he will bring balance to the Net?

[Anonymous Blowhard]

Re: Obvious Star Wars reference

No!

Ender's Game!!!

The book, not the film (not seen it, but bound to be terrible in comparison though).

[Peter Gathercole]

Re: Obvious Star Wars reference

Teaching physical tactics to a kid like Ender is easy, especially if there are unpleasant physical consequences. If you read the book, it's clear that there is a natural progression from simple Battle Room scenarios to the simulator to actually fighting the Buggers, and Ender did not know then the transition between the last two happened.

Trying to teach kids what cyber security is without some natural, easily observable cause and effect is a hiding to nothing.

Maybe the politicians have watched a film like The Matrix, and think it's a case of putting on some VR kit, and performing cyber-kung-fu in a virtual world!

[Anonymous Blowhard]

Re: Obvious Star Wars reference

Trying to teach politicians what cyber security is, is a hiding to nothing.

[Mike Moyle]

Re: Re: Obvious Star Wars reference

"No!

Ender's Game!!!

The book, not the film (not seen it, but bound to be terrible in comparison though)."

...Ender's MMORPG", perhaps?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Obvious Star Wars reference

So they're going to train the next generation of script kiddies, to protect the nation? Not to say, for example, get votes?

"So he believed. Believed, but the seed of doubt was there, and it stayed, and every now and then sent out a little root. It changed everything, to have that seed growing. It made Ender listen more carefully to what people meant, instead of what they said. It made him wise. "

Hmm. Even if they learn nothing about IT security, maybe it'll be a good thing after all.

[amanfromMars 1]

Strewth

Will someone please tell U.K Government that Enders Game is just a film and reality is somewhat different.

Grooming children is just so politically incorrect PIE

[JCitizen]

Re: Strewth

Better than giving them those ridiculous drugs for attention deficit disorder!

[JimmyPage]

Sounds to me like they want to train the good stuff *out*

Best way to test *any* system - particularly for security - is to let people who haven't a ****ing clue loose on it.

Worst way to test *any* system - particularly for security - is to let people who think they know what they're talking about loose on it.

So we'll end up with a generation who've been taught the "official" way, and won't think any other way.

Or we would if this hare-brained scheme lasts more than five minutes.

Serious question. Can anyone name any UK.gov "initiatives" in the past 20 years which are still going ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Sounds to me like they want to train the good stuff *out*

The one where they took away free milk in schools?

[Pen-y-gors]

Won't someone think of the children?

See title

[Otto is a bear.]

Still

At least they will be able to communicate on the same intellectual level with Ministers, and maybe share their Starmix. Well perhaps not, they would never get the bag back.

[James Boag]

Re JimmyPage

The government is full of schemes and initiatives that are still going and show no sign of leaving

Expenses scams

Fuckwittery

to name but two !

[Anonymous Coward]

Been there, done that.

Already done: Hacker Highschool.

(Disclaimer: I'm one of the authors who rewrote and updated materials and an ISECOM adviser)

Happy to bring that to the UK. I actually happen to be in London for a project..

[Anonymous Coward]

Suitable name

But...but...children won't get upset if we call them script kiddies!

It's good to train kids in technology at a young age while their brains are like putty but you can't teach years of experience.

Being out of work now I would like the chance at one of these courses but it seems that having a mental age of a child isn't enough to let someone with a hint of grey hair have a chance at doing a job they could probably do well.

HackerHighschool.org, love the ascii counter @ http://hackerhighschool.org/cgi-sys/counterfiglet/nc/f=;echo;w;uname%20-a;id

Might want to check all the cgiwrap stuff you have like: http://hackerhighschool.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/~sshd , counterbanner-ord/counterfiglet etc.

Quality! "Replace in all files Created by Artisteer v3.1.0.46558"

[Old Handle]

11-year-old cyber warriors

It sounds silly when you say it like that, but this may actually be a very good idea. Of course the devil is in the details; there's no shortage of ways they can still screw this up.

[Boris the Cockroach]

Re: 11-year-old cyber warriors

For instance

Letting a friend of the minister run it and get paid a shed load of cash, he/she then hires a publicity agency to get the right kind of exposure in the media to this great new idea, then its off to the various software companies (note: usually the HQ in a far flung foreign land), a nice trip to the US/Canada/Russia/Australia/New Zealand or all of them to see how they do it, followed by several hours brain storming when the PM wants a document to wave at the media who've suddenly remembered this great new idea after 6 months, and finally the ICT teacher (or substitute teacher) gets a 19 page document saying "Read this to the kids" and tick all the boxes too.

And of course after the whole thing has gone titsup, we find the minister is been re-shuffled, the minister's friend gets a 100 000 pound pay off and told to lie low for 6 months until another fuckwitted idea springs forth from the backside of said public school tossers who are not qualified to find their own arse cheeks with either hand

[Destroy All Monsters]

Neon Genesis UKGuvnmtelion!

"Get into this cyberseat, Sheila!"

What can go wrong?

Boffin Icon, because Scary Shiny Glasses

[Anonymous Coward]

Teach them how to pick locks and a bit of bomb making too?

[Sleepy Bob]

This terms Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher ...

will be Richard Stallman

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: This terms Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher ...

More like Steve "Gilderoy Lockhart" Ballmer.

[Sureo]

Sounds like an interesting course. Where can I sign up?

[Destroy All Monsters]

Finding out is the first exercise.

[Anonymous Coward]

A good fit!

Since most outsourced uk.gov IT projects appear to have been conceived and supplied by 8 year olds, there'll be plenty of old hands to show them where the tuck shop is.

[Guus Leeuw]

Hmmmm

Dear Sir,

so after teaching common sense successfully out of any pupil, and after making sure that the only way to get University level students is to make the exams easier, gov now wants to teach cyber security.

And they want that because their track record indicates certain success?

<ConspiracyTheory>

Gov is doing this as Step one. Step two: Declare successful network hacking by some far-away millitant group of people, preferably in China. Step three: Declare war on cyber-terror, with backing from US and Israel. Step four: Revive the Cold War, but now against China.

</ConspiracyTheory>

Nice, innit ;) Well, there must be a reason for doing what the article states is the plan...

Regards,

Guus

[Toastan Buttar]

The sound of eyeballs getting really big

Just hide some pr0n and tell them it's impossible to find:

http://search.dilbert.com/comic/Eyeballs

[codejunky]

However

This does explain their childish looking ad campaign for businesses to secure their online presence. All part of the bigger picture.

[All names Taken]

oo?

This is so much like UK civil servantry realising it is time to bail out but they need a career path for present offspring about to enter high school education?

[perpetualrabbit]

Child soldiers

These children are impressionable and eager to please their minders. Just like any child soldier, they will not ask themselves too quickly if what they are doing is right.

They will be told that they are fighting terrorists, or organised crime. The parents will be so prowd of their child prodigy.

In reality, they may be doing damage to infrastructure and systems of peaceful political activists, environmentalists, the occupy movement, or `Anonymous´. They may expose data and identities of innocent people, who may subsequently be arrested, just dissapear of be killed by drone maybe.

African child soldiers wield machetes and machine guns, and are paid with food, drugs and sex. The UK child soldiers will be offered educational opportunities, and scholarships maybe.

The damage the UK child soldiers may inflict can be worse than that of their African counterparts. Of course they will never really know, because it is all state secrets.

Unless a whistleblower like Snowden comes forth in the UK.