The third edition of the Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon 2023, organized by Ignite, commenced with its inaugural event in Karachi.
The third edition of the Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon 2023, organized by Ignite, commenced with its inaugural event in Karachi. Attended by CEO Ignite, Asim Shahryar Husain, and board members including Engr. Prof. Dr. Bilal Ahmed Alvi and Prof. Dr. Rabia Enam, the event brought together cybersecurity professionals, industry experts, and academia representatives. The Hackathon aims to foster cybersecurity skills and enhance the nation’s ability to combat cyber threats.
Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, emphasized the paramount importance of safeguarding the country’s cyber boundaries. He highlighted ongoing efforts within the ministry to identify and nurture talent capable of thwarting malicious cyber attempts. Additionally, he shared progress on establishing the operational readiness of Pakistan’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the forthcoming institutionalization of a Cyber Security Authority.
Asim Shahryar Husain, CEO Ignite, shared insights into this year’s preparations, including a series of five-day hands-on training workshops conducted in ten cities across Pakistan. These workshops aimed to build the capacity of cybersecurity students and professionals before the hackathons. Originally designed for approximately 100 participants at each location, the workshops accommodated an impressive 1576 trainees, exceeding the planned trainee count by 57%.
The comprehensive training covered various cybersecurity topics, including security fundamentals, penetration testing methodologies, web application security, network security, social engineering, wireless network security, cloud security, mobile device security, and incident response.
Husain also highlighted the success of teams from Ignite’s cybersecurity hackathons in previous years. Teams such as Griffyns, Sudoers, and Airoverflow had competed in “Black Hat MEA” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ranking among the top 35 teams out of 250 global teams.
The teams demonstrated exceptional skills, with Airoverflow cracking a Linux Docker in just 4 minutes and 50 seconds during a challenge presented by the Academy of Learning. This achievement marked a significant milestone for Pakistani teams participating in international cybersecurity competitions.
The event featured talks on various cybersecurity topics by industry experts, including Khurram Javed (Director NCERT), Fahad Azam (CISO Meezan Bank), GM K-Electric, and Salman Mufti (Head of Enterprise Security & Compliance, HBL). The morning session included an engaging quiz competition involving teams from ten universities, with the top three teams emerging from FAST and NUST universities.
The hackathon kicked off with four hours of blue teaming, followed by six hours of a capture-the-flag style competition. The top three teams, named Revolt, M4Lware, and Sigma4, emerged after 10 hours of intense hacking.
Following the inaugural event in Karachi, the hackathon will move to regional rounds in Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, and Islamabad. The competition will culminate in a final event scheduled for the end of December in Islamabad. Cash awards totaling Rs. 3 million will be presented to the top three teams after the final competition, encouraging and rewarding excellence in cybersecurity skills.
Ignite’s Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon serves as a crucial platform for identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities, promoting secure coding practices, and generating innovative solutions to combat emerging cyber threats faced by Pakistan. The event not only showcases talent but also contributes to the nation’s cybersecurity readiness in an increasingly digital landscape.