CyBOK Showcase Event Recap: A New Direction for Advancing Cyber Security Knowledge

CyBOK Showcase Event Recap: A New Direction for Advancing Cyber Security Knowledge

Published: 2 Dec 2024, 6 p.m.

On November 11, 2024, CyBOK (Cyber Security Body of Knowledge) held an in-person event in Manchester, gathering key players in CyBOK’s mission to further enhance cyber security research, education, and industry. The showcase focused on CyBOK’s ongoing commitment to expanding and evolving the UK’s cyber security knowledge landscape, sharing updates, new initiatives, and collaborative insights from experts across academia and industry.

Event Highlights

Opening the day, Professor Steve Schneider, Director of the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security, and Executive Board Member of CyBOK, welcomed attendees and set the stage for the day’s program. Professor Awais Rashid, CyBOK’s Lead, kicked off with an engaging presentation on CyBOK’s Updates and Future Plans, outlining key achievements and setting out priorities for expanding CyBOK’s reach and impact. The highlight of this talk was the announcement that CyBOK is transitioning into a Community Interest Company, with Awais revealing how this new development will further the ability of CyBOK to work for the community, by the community.

Professor Andrew Martin from the University of Oxford followed on from Awais, offering insights into CyBOK’s role within UK Cyber Security Research, underlining its value as a national resource and its alignment with current strategic initiatives.

Focus on Innovation and Education

A key part of the event focused on innovative projects leveraging CyBOK’s resources:

  • CyBOK Wiki Feasibility Study: Led by Lőrinc Thurnay, University for Continuing Education Krems, this study explored the feasibility of creating an open-access CyBOK Wiki, which would enable real-time updates and collaboration. Lőrinc showed a successful proof-of-concept that covered three Knowledge Areas within CyBOK.
  • CyBOK’s First Cycle Course in Higher Education: Joakim Kävrestad from Jönköping University shared insights into developing a first-cycle university course based on CyBOK, exploring its potential to support and develop comprehensive cyber security curricula.
  • Mapping Strategic and Defence Research: Basil Germond from Lancaster University discussed aligning CyBOK’s knowledge areas with cyber research needs in the strategic and defense sectors, praising the current knowledge as foundational, but highlighting the need for a Cyber Warfare area for development
  • Open Source Practical Challenges: Cliffe Schreuders from Leeds Beckett University unveiled new open-source resources, offering hands-on practical challenges that align with CyBOK’s knowledge areas to enrich cyber security learning.

Looking Ahead

The showcase closed with a networking lunch, where attendees were able to exchange ideas and discuss future collaborations. The CyBOK team is immensely grateful to all speakers, delegates, and collaborators for their contributions to the event’s success. Together, we are advancing the future of cyber security education and knowledge dissemination. For more updates and upcoming events, visit the CyBOK website.