Technology & IT | Tuesday 1 October, 2019 12:13 am |

Kaspersky is calling for young talent to take part in Secur’IT Cup 2019 – an international competition for ambitious students to work on fresh cybersecurity ideas which will help create a safer future.

All modern world developments are driven by technology. Older, established industries are changing rapidly as a result, with new ones gaining momentum. However, one downside of a reliance on advanced and innovative technologies is that they are highly vulnerable to cyberthreats. As solutions become more developed, the greater the demand becomes for the next generation of cybersecurity support.

That’s why Kaspersky is driving educational initiatives to encourage young people to enter the cybersecurity industry. The Secur’IT Cup’19 competition gives young enthusiasts the opportunity to try and solve issues affecting the three most significant industries of the future:

Finance – protect financial industry users and institutions by improving online fraud detection mechanisms, such as wipers/cryptographers and hidden mining
Automotive – improve smart car user safety by preventing controller area network attacks, GPS and other sensitive data leakage for both manned and unmanned vehicles
Machine learning – develop new methods to apply machine learning to improve cybersecurity technologies and narrow the damage caused by cyberattacks

The competition aims to support students and young researchers who already have their own projects that will contribute to solving existing cybersecurity problems and dealing with the most advanced threats. Projects that can be submitted include a software or hardware solution prototype, a piece of code, a research-based policy, as well as many others.

Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, commented: “Technology now connects us across platforms and borders like never before, opening up new possibilities for everyone. Digital connectivity brings convenience and opportunities: it is a necessity for the survival of modern businesses, government institutions and the industrial sector. But at the same time it introduces serious vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, I’m positive we can overcome the cyber-challenges that we’re confronting with the development of technology. And we call on young talented people to help us do just that and build a safer world together. I wish all the participants of the Secur’IT Cup the best of luck and hope to see some great innovative ideas!”

Alice Gazizullina, data scientist who won the competition last year, with her project Secure Intellectual Surveillance System, says:

“This competition is a real chance to enter the cybersecurity industry and to get feedback from the experts right away. The atmosphere was very friendly and encourages participants to show off their skills and knowledge. Cybersecurity is so diverse; every industry demands a different approach. This was an excellent opportunity to dig deep into the security of different industries and to understand what you are capable of as a future professional. The whole competition was a journey – from the concept idea to the product. Guidance of the organizing committee was inherent in creating an impeccable presentation, being able to understand a lot about what the concept teams were working on. The finals allowed me to network with people from diverse backgrounds around the world.”

Registration for the competition closes on October 25, 2019. Participants should submit a detailed description of a project or a research proposal, as well as a project presentation or prototype. An expert jury will consider all projects and select a short list for the finals. Participants can register individually or in teams.

All the cup finalists will go on a trip to Lisbon on 4th – 5th December for the final event at the Kaspersky.Academy Partners Summit, where the winner will be announced and awarded $10,000. The participant in second place will attend the Kaspersky Security Analysts’ Summit 2020, an international event which brings together the world’s foremost IT security experts. The third runner-up will receive sponsorship to participate in one of the cybersecurity conferences in their region of residence.