EC-Council and SAIC Announce Global Cyber Games Agreement

MCLEAN, Va. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) Foundation and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) are proud to announce their two-year teaming agreement for the CyberLympics, a series of global cyber games created by the EC-Council.

The mission of the CyberLympics is to unify global cyber defense while raising awareness toward increased education and ethics in information security. The timing of the games could not be more critical, as global cyber threats are escalating, leaving organizations vulnerable to disastrous security breaches. According to the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, hacking results in an annual loss of $6 to $20 billion in intellectual property and investment opportunities.

CyberLympics has been endorsed by the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), which is the cyber security executing arm of the United Nations' specialized agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure, the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has officially been appointed as the Patron of the Global CyberLympics. With that appointment, Dr. Toure became the Chair of the Global CyberLympics Advisory Council (GCAC).

The CyberLympics will include cyber defense, offense, and a forensics challenge. The initial qualification rounds of these games will be conducted via the Internet, testing the skills of hundreds of contestants from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. The finals will be held in person in the United States in October of 2012.

As a Technology Sponsor of the games, the competitions will be powered by SAIC's CyberNEXS™, a live, realistic game environment that has been used for well over 150 training and competition events globally, enabling users to develop the skills to recognize and defend against cyber attacks.  Available live anywhere in the world, CyberNEXS provides a web-based network management tool that aids in real-time feedback and focused training. 

"We are excited to join forces with SAIC to bring the games to a new level globally," said Jay Bavisi, Chairman of the Global CyberLympics Organizing Committee and president of EC-Council. "The goal of the Global CyberLympics initiative is to help establish true cyber security partnerships across borders and I am confident that we can expand the outreach of this initiative globally and raise awareness of global peace through cyber games."

"As the breadth and scope of cyber threats and security breaches continue to escalate each year, there is a growing and immediate need for a strategic global defense initiative to train and educate the next generation of cyber leaders to protect critical government, healthcare, and energy infrastructure," said Charles Beard, SAIC chief information officer and general manager of the company's cybersecurity business unit. "We're excited to be a Technical Sponsor of the CyberLympics and to work with the EC-Council to raise global awareness in information security."

The CyberLympics World Finals is scheduled on the 29 -31 October, 2012 at the Hacker Halted Conference in Miami. For more information about CyberLympics or to register, please visit: http://www.cyberlympics.org

Contact:  Dan Callahan -Program Manager  ([email protected])

About the EC-Council Foundation

The EC-Council Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity, was established in 2012 by the founders of  the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council).

The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in various e-business and information security skills. It is the owner and creator of the world famous Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)/License Penetration Tester (LPT) programs, and as well as many others programs, that are offered in over 87 countries through a training network of more than 450 training partners globally and has trained over 90,000 individuals and certified more than 40,000 security professionals.

The Foundation was set up as a not for profit initiative by the founders of EC-Council to raise awareness, build capacity across nations, and ultimately promote global peace while ensuring that the global community raises its awareness for the immediate need for child online protection. One of the key initiatives of the foundation is the Global CyberLympics; a unifying body for Global Cyber Defense.  Global CyberLympics is a series of cybersecurity related competitions including: Forensics, Penetration Testing, Computer Network Defense, and Capture the Flag.

The Foundation also supports select regional, national, and international high school, collegiate and professional education programs and cyber competitions. The EC-Council Foundation mission is to foster collaboration and participation by Global Digital Citizens to become advocates for safe and secure on-line activities and child online protection.

ABOUT SAIC:

SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health. The Company's approximately 41,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets. Headquartered in McLean, Va., SAIC had annual revenues of approximately $10.6 billion for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.saic.com/. SAIC: From Science to Solutions®

CONTACT: Melissa Koskovich, [email protected], 703-676-6762

SOURCE SAIC