Curtin Malaysia CTF Hackathon 2024 returning with bigger challenges and opportunities for aspiring cybersecurity enthusiasts

Miri, Sarawak – 11 October 2024 – The highly anticipated Curtin Malaysia Capture The Flag (CTF) Hackathon 2024 is back, and it promises an electrifying 24 hours of intense competition, cutting-edge challenges, and an opportunity to showcase top-tier hacking skills for cybersecurity enthusiasts across Malaysia.

Hosted by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Curtin Malaysia in collaboration with the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), this year’s hackathon dubbed Hackathon 2.0, a 24-hour nationwide online event, builds on last year’s inaugural success, offering even more complex puzzles and exciting rewards for the brightest minds in cybersecurity.

Kicking off at 10 am on October 12 and running non-stop until 10 am the following day, the event will see participants from all over Malaysia competing in a fast-paced, fully online challenge, solving sophisticated cybersecurity puzzles ranging from web security, reverse engineering, open-source intelligence (OSINT), forensics, cryptography, and more.

With cash prizes totalling RM 7,500, only the top 10 teams will make it to the leaderboard, and the top three will have the exclusive honour of presenting their hacking prowess at the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS 2024) on October 17 in Kuching. There, they will showcase their winning strategies and thought processes in front of an elite audience, including industry experts and leaders from across the digital economy.

In the lead-up to the event, registered participants have had the chance to attend a series of pre-workshop sessions, led by seasoned pentest professionals, covering crucial topics such as web security, forensics, reverse engineering, and OSINT. These hands-on workshops ensured that every participant enters the CTF arena fully equipped and prepared to tackle the tough challenges ahead.

The CTF Hackathon 2024 is led by an expert team of faculty coordinators, including Dr. Sivaraman Eswaran, Terence Tan, and Foad Motalebi, while the lead co-organisers are Nur Hartini Mardan, Manager of Tech & Talent Transfer from SDEC, and Janahtul Farha Mehboob Khan, Executive of Tech & Talent Transfer. Their combined efforts have once again raised the bar for cybersecurity competitions in Malaysia, setting the stage for an unforgettable showdown.

As a leader in cybersecurity education, Curtin Malaysia also aims to showcase its prowess in the field. It offers Curtin’s three-year Bachelor of Computing in Cyber Security, which provides the skills and knowledge graduates need for a successful career in the rapidly evolving information and communications technology industry related to cybersecurity. The course focuses on the key concepts and challenges in data and resource protection and computer software security. More information on the course can be found at curtin.edu.my/study/undergraduate/bachelor-cyber-security/.

For more details and to register for the CTF Hackathon 2024, visit curtin.edu.my/event/capture-the-flag/.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit curtin.edu.my or look for Curtin Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or TikTok.

Curtin Malaysia Capture The Flag (CTF) Hackathon 2024 promises more challenges and thrills over last year’s highly successful event