Kaspersky International Cybersecurity Competition for students, 6.9 lakhs up for grab

Kaspersky today announces the opening of its international cybersecurity competition for students, Secur’IT Cup 2019 and invites students from across the Asia Pacific (APAC) to join its competition. The finale of the APAC edition will be held on 11 July 2019 at Singapore Institute of Technology@Nanyang Polytechnic where participants will present their cybersecurity projects to a panel of Kaspersky experts, university delegates, and local partners. For students not based in Singapore, presentations can be made via pre-recorded video presentation.

The international competition provides a platform for students to showcase their cybersecurity projects and engage in peer learning plus a chance to network with Kaspersky experts. Students aged 18 to 28 are welcome to suggest their own projects which will help solve cybersecurity issues in the following areas: machine learning in cybersecurity, financial security, and automotive security.

“We are excited about bringing back Secur’IT Cup this year, and our initiative is aimed at enhancing the next generation of cybersecurity talent, making them more in tune with the everchanging landscape and evolving demands of cybersecurity,” said Shrenik Bhayani, General Manager of South Asia at Kaspersky.

“India has been developing so rapidly moving towards a digital ecosystem that it has been one of the favourite targets for cybercriminals. I believe Kaspersky SecurIT Cup 2019 supports the ongoing Digital India program by the Government of India, and it would be a good opportunity for our local talents to be exposed to wider region and be recognized on an international platform.” Bhayani added.

The overall global winner will receive a grant of US$10,000 (6.9 lakhs rupees).

The competition that will be held on 11 July 2019, is a one-day conference on cybersecurity, where students may sit in at a lecture by a Kaspersky researcher, and later present their own research on stage, in teams up to 3 people. Winners at the APAC competition will receive the following:

·A USD$1500 grant for Proof-of-Concept (PoC)

·A trip to participate in the finals in Europe

·A mentorship session with experts from Kaspersky to improve their project

·Free access to Kaspersky Cybersecurity Certification Fundamentals, which equips users with knowledge and technical skills in areas such as cryptography, application security and incident response

Participants can submit their abstract here, and the deadline for submission is until July 2019. The panel will consider all submitted projects and announce the best ones for the finals. Only winners of the local competition will be allowed to compete in the global finals during Kaspersky Partner Summit 2019 held in Europe.