[LINK] "Commando Theft of Nazi Radar Turned Town Into Cyber Valley"

[rfmcdonald]

Bloomberg's Jeremy Hodges and Kit Chellel tell a remarkable story about how a British exploit in the Second World War made a spa town a leading world centre in cybersecurity.

On a winter’s evening in 1942, a daring raid by British commandos to steal a German radar on the French coast set in motion a series of events that would see a small town, nestled in middle England, become a leading cyber-defense hub.

Malvern is home to more than 80 companies dotted among nondescript office parks in the rolling hills of the Worcestershire market town, about 100 miles north west of London. During World War II, Malvern was used as a radar research center, growing to a large scale government operation that spawned defense contractor Qinetiq Group Plc (QQ/) in 2001.

As the rate and sophistication of cyber-attacks has grown, small, specialist businesses in the region are taking on the hackers, winning contracts with governments and businesses around the world.

In Malvern there is a “long-standing pedigree of specialist security research and delivery expertise,” said Robin King, chief executive officer of Deep-Secure, a 25 employee company that develops software to protect sensitive information and counts the U.K. Ministry of Defence as a client.

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In the U.K., Malvern is better known for its mineral water. Its reputation as a spa town dates back to the 17th century when tourists traveled to the area to sample the health-giving properties of the water that ran down from the surrounding hills.