SANS Institute Announces Successful International Services Cup Featuring Core NetWars v10

Global Cybersecurity Competition Enhances Skills and Collaboration Among 14 Eyes Countries

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 14, 2024 - SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certification, proudly announces the successful conclusion of the International Services Cup. This prestigious event brought together military cyber professionals from the 14 Eyes countries for an intensive two-day virtual competition held on July 10-11, 2024.

The International Services Cup, featuring the latest version of SANS' renowned Core NetWars v10, exemplifies SANS Institute's mission to help secure the world by advancing the cybersecurity skills of professionals worldwide. This year's competition saw participation from cyber experts representing Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Carlos Carrillo, Director of Cyber Simulations at SANS Institute, emphasized the importance of such events in the current cybersecurity landscape. "We live in an era where cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive. The importance of practicing cybersecurity skills cannot be overstated. Exercises like the International Services Cup help us hone our skills and enhance our ability to detect, respond to, and mitigate attacks in real-time, ensuring that our defenses evolve in step with emerging threats," said Carrillo.

The competition focused on the newly launched Core NetWars v10, an advanced multi-disciplinary cyber range designed to enhance diverse cyber skills in a collaborative environment. This version incorporates real-world scenarios and cutting-edge challenges, including:

  • Hardware hacking
  • Mobile app analysis
  • Linux and Windows command line skills
  • Web application penetration testing
  • Windows, web server, and network forensics
  • Threat hunting with ELK Stack
  • Cloud penetration testing
  • Cyber threat intelligence
  • Cryptography

Carrillo continued, "As allied military cybersecurity professionals, continuously honing our skills not only helps better protect sensitive information and maintain public trust but also upholds the integrity of our collective national security. By working and training together, our allied countries can effectively defend against common adversaries, leveraging shared knowledge and resources to create a united front in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats."

The International Services Cup is a testament to SANS Institute's commitment to providing the most comprehensive hands-on training solutions to support practitioners' readiness to detect and mitigate real-life threat events. The inclusion of AI tools in some of the challenges in Core NetWars v10 reflects SANS' dedication to staying ahead of the curve in cybersecurity training.

For more information about the International Services Cup and Core NetWars v10, please visit SANS Cyber Ranges.