Yesterday, June 26, the Technical University of Moldova hosted the “Students Cyber Battle” competition, an exciting event for students passionate about cybersecurity. Modeled after an Attack/Defense format, this competition provided an excellent platform for talented students from the Faculty of Computers, Informatics, and Microelectronics (FCIM) to demonstrate their knowledge, technical skills, quick thinking, and creativity in the field of Cyber Security.
Organized by CODWER Academy in partnership with the Cyber Security Agency (ASC) and the “Cybercor” National Institute of Innovations in Cyber Security, with support from the Development Foundation of the Republic of Moldova, this unique opportunity challenged UTM students with real-world cybersecurity scenarios. Under the guidance of experienced mentors from CODWER Academy, students tackled these challenges in a controlled and safe environment.
The official opening of the competition was marked by inspiring speeches from the attending officials:
– Mihai LUPAȘCU, Director of ASC, and Ion VINTILĂ, Deputy Director of ASC, highlighted the novelty and professional opportunities offered by the field of cybersecurity, assuring students of the high demand for qualified specialists in the job market.
– Ludmila PECA, Director of the “Cybercor” National Institute of Innovations in Cyber Security, inspired the participants with words of encouragement and wished them success in overcoming the cyber challenges ahead.
– Dinu ȚURCANU, Vice-Rector for Digitalization at UTM, emphasized the university administration’s continued commitment to supporting extracurricular activities in cybersecurity and digitalization. He encouraged students to actively participate and strive to become leading specialists in the field.
Teams of two students each were given access to the CODWER Academy Laboratory at FCIM-UTM. Their task was to simultaneously attack each other’s infrastructures while defending their own against adversarial attacks. The first stage of the competition focused on exploring systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and implementing protective measures for IT infrastructures. This process continued in the second stage, with winners receiving vouchers for certifications, access to the CODWER Academy Summer Camp in Romania at the end of August, and valuable prizes, including mobile devices provided by Cybercor.
FCIM extends sincere thanks to all partners for their unconditional support in organizing this impressive cybersecurity hacking competition at UTM: ASC Director Mihai LUPAȘCU, CODWER Director Marius Dumitrașcu, and Executive Director of the Development Foundation Gabriela OJOG.
We note that this event was organized with the support of the Development Foundation of the Republic of Moldova, the implementer of the grant from the Tides Foundation (Grant Reference#: TF2309-116100), intended to assist the National Institute of Innovations in Cyber Security “CYBERCOR.”
