Cyberchallenge.IT: challenges for national cybersecurity

(To Giorgio Giacinto)
06/02/19

Last week the selection phase of the young people taking part in the Cyberchallenge.IT initiative organized by National Cybersecurity Laboratory del CINi (Inter-university National Comsorzio per l'informatica).

After a pre-selection on an online test that involved more than 3000 boys between 16 and 23 years throughout Italy, the 1 February took place the admission tests to the course that from March to May will take place in 18 Italian universities with 20 students per university.

The selection phase involved logical reasoning skills, and basic programming knowledge. The course aims to train children in the concepts and techniques of attack and defense of information systems. The teaching style will alternate lectures with numerous laboratory hours aimed at becoming familiar with the vulnerabilities of the systems, the ways to exploit them and the techniques for active and passive defense. At the end of the course, the 6 June, the boys will compete in a local challenge that will determine the winner for each venue.

But it does not end here. Each venue will build a team of 4 people who will participate in the national challenge that will take place on 27 June.

The path, coordinated by prof. Camil Demetrescu of the University of Rome La Sapienza, involves the Universities of Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Calabria, Camerino, Genoa, Link Campus, Polytechnic of Marche, Polytechnic of Milan, Naples Parthenope, Padua, Perugia, Pisa, Salento, Sannio , Polytechnic University of Turin, Tuscan Cybersecurity Competency Center.

Through this experience we want to achieve the goal of making young people passionate about the issues of cybersecurity not only to increase the number of experts in the field, but also to create the widespread awareness of the dangers of an incorrect design, management and maintenance of IT systems. , more and more frequent cause of computer accidents with serious consequences.