Nordic-Baltic Cyber Conflict Review 2023: A Look Back at the Telia Cyber Battle
Talented Ethical Hackers Converge for Nordic-Baltic Cyber Battle
In the heart of Estonia, the University of Tartu played host to the annual Cyber Battle of Nordic-Baltics, a prominent cybersecurity competition for youth aged 15-24 from the region.
Organized by CTF Tech and CybExer Technologies, this event brings together spirited teams of cybersecurity enthusiasts from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The competition is a unique opportunity for participants to test their skills, collaborate, and demonstrate their abilities under high-pressure conditions.
This year's event culminated in intense competition, with the Icelandic team "Cats" clinching the top spot. Sweden's "Bumbodosan" grabbed second place, and Denmark's "Free" secured the third position. The best girls' team was "Mean Girls", while "Ural-4" represented Estonia admirably. Sweden also bagged the title of the best online team.
Kätlin Koemets, the main organizer, shared, "The Cyber Battle serves as a platform to engage young people and guide them towards the 'good side'. It encourages them to play a proactive role in preventing and deterring cyber attacks."
The battle day was a full day affair, packed with CTF-based tasks, requiring skills across various cybersecurity topics. The tasks were designed around potential real-world crises and situations, such as digital intrusion, detection, prevention, virus and malware analysis, and cyber attack resolution.
In addition to the competition, the event included an entertainment area for spectators and a specialized forum called Cybercation for educators.
The competition zone mimicked the setting of a TV show, with all essential features for a successful event. A live leaderboard and live commentary from experts kept both competitors and spectators engaged. The competition was live-broadcast on Telia TV's Inspira channel, and the entire event was hosted by popular Estonian singer Karl-Erik Taukar.
The entertainment area catered to the audience, offering activities in collaboration with partner companies. Visitors could conduct space experiments, drive a rally car in a console game, witness science shows, and enjoy musical performances.
The Cybercation Forum, held for the second time, aimed to foster and expand the cybersecurity community among educators, policy makers, and entrepreneurs in the Nordic-Baltic region. This year's focus was on gamified hacking, with keynote speeches, panel discussions, and live demos exploring the topic comprehensively. The forum contributed significantly to the collaborative exchange of knowledge and ideas, enhancing the collective understanding of cybersecurity within the educational and business landscape.
The organizers expressed gratitude to event supporters such as telecommunications company Telia, the town of Tartu, the University of Tartu, and several private sector companies for their unwavering support in discovering and nurturing future cyber talents.
- The talented Ethian Hackers, gathered from Estonia, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and other Nordic-Baltic countries, demonstrated their knowledge in cybersecurity through various technology-driven tasks during the event.
- The renowned cybersecurity competition, held annually in Estonia, aims to contribute to the Estonian world and global security by educating and nurturing young people, with the goal of strengthening the cybersecurity community.
- The event not only focuses on competition, but also provides an entertainment area for people to enjoy activities like space experiments, rally car games, science shows, and musical performances.
- The organizers of the Cyber Battle value education-and-self-development, as evidenced by the Cybercation Forum, which encourages collaboration among educators, policy makers, and entrepreneurs in the region, focusing on innovative topics like gamified hacking.
- The forum serves as a vital platform for knowledge exchange, fostering a stronger collective understanding of cybersecurity in the business sector and beyond, thereby ensuring a more secure Estonian world and the entire cyber world.
