World renowned cybersecurity company, F-Secure Corporation, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation recently teamed up again to host the Malaysian Inter-Varsity Cyber Security Competition 2018 with support from local cybersecurity firms, LGMS and Asia Cybersecurity Exchange (AsiaCyberX).
This annual event aligns closely with these organisations’ mission to advance Malaysia’s digital economy and raise interest and awareness amongst students in the field of cybersecurity, which is a crucial pillar for a thriving digital economy.
“In the field of technology there is always a race to secure talent with industry-relevant knowledge and skills. We feel that the best way to leverage our talent is to develop them young and infuse a strong sense of industry-academic partnership,” said F-Secure Group’s Director and General Manager (Asia-Pacific) Ingvar Froiland (pic).
He added that the nation’s cyber infrastructure needs highly skilled professionals to support and protect its systems. He believes that “hands-on” cyber competitions offer a valuable learning method for students, and this is especially good at the tertiary level.
“These competitions are in highly interactive formats and often based on scenarios depicting events that can help students develop and increase their cybersecurity skills The chance to test their mettle outside of the traditional academic environment is invaluable and also provides a forum for networking,” Ingvar further said.
Aside from the students, teachers can also leverage on the competitions to see how well their curriculums test and if there may be further opportunities to refine their teaching methods. The teacher-student combinations also forge the necessity of team building in which members might have individual skillsets that offer unique opportunities for success.
“We’ve been championing the cybersecurity cause for three and defending homes and businesses,” Ingvar further said.
The Inter-Varsity Cyber Security Competition Malaysia was opened to full-time IT undergraduate students enrolled in all Malaysian public and private universities.
Students from Asia Pacific University (APU) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) emerged winners in the competition.
There was also superb work by students from University of Malaya (UM), Multimedia University (MMU) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for having excelled in the competition.
