Interactive event puts security professionals in attackers' shoes to better understand the security threat landscape

TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2012 /CNW/ - On Tuesday, November 6, security enthusiasts participated in Symantec's Cyber Readiness Challenge at the Design Exchange in Toronto. The event kicked off with a keynote presentation by Clint Sand, senior director of Symantec's Security Business Practice, on the current threat landscape, followed by an interactive "capture the flag" game that saw the top player going home with a $2,500 (CAD) grand prize.

"Symantec's Cyber Security Challenge events help IT security professionals better understand the threat landscape and how they can protect their organizations," said Sand.  "We are thrilled with the turn out in Toronto; the number of people that attended this event proves cyber security is a top issue in today's IT landscape and demonstrates the need for education about threats and protection."

The game was designed to put participants in attackers' shoes to understand their targets, technology and thought process so they can ultimately better protect their organization or agency. With cyber attacks on the rise, IT security should be a priority for IT professionals around the world. Symantec's most recent Internet Security Threat Report revealed that globally, malicious attacks increased 81 per cent in 2011.

"Businesses of all shapes and sizes need to recognize cyber attacks present a very real and immediate threat to their operations," continued Sand. "Cybercriminals are more determined, more sophisticated and more effective at stealing sensitive information, making the protection of business information more challenging than ever."

The Toronto challenge was part of a series of Cyber Readiness events to be hosted by Symantec around the world. Upcoming events will be held in Barcelona, Spain; Irvine, California; Mountain View, California; Chicago, Illinois; and New York City, New York.

For more information about the event series please visit: http://www.symantec.com/theme.jsp?themeid=cyber-readiness-challenge.

About Symantec
Symantec protects the world's information, and is a global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment - from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data center, to cloud-based systems. Our world-renowned expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com/en/ca/ or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.

SOURCE Symantec Canada

Video with caption: "Video: Security enthusiasts participate in Symantec's Cyber Readiness Challenge". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20121107_C5829_VIDEO_EN_20276.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20121107_C5829_PHOTO_EN_20276.jpg&clientName=Symantec%20Canada&caption=Video%3A%20Security%20enthusiasts%20participate%20in%20Symantec%27s%20Cyber%20Readiness%20Challenge&title=SYMANTEC%20CANADA%20%2D%20Security%20experts%20converge%20on%20Symantec%20Cyber%20Readiness%20Challenge&headline=Security%20experts%20converge%20on%20Symantec%20Cyber%20Readiness%20Challenge

Image with caption: "Winners of the Symantec Cyber Readiness Challenge Tim Alpin, Shawn Marriott and Seth Hardy (CNW Group/Symantec Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121107_C5829_PHOTO_EN_20274.jpg

Image with caption: "IT security professionals try their hand at capturing the flag at the Symantec Cyber Readiness Challenge. (CNW Group/Symantec Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121107_C5829_PHOTO_EN_20275.jpg