Team Malta at the 2022 European Cyber Security Challenge in Vienna

In 2022, I had the opportunity as a 17-year-old student to be part of Team Malta at the 2022 European Cyber Security Challenge held in Vienna, Austria. It all started when I decided to join the National Cybersecurity Challenge just as an experience to broaden my knowledge on cybersecurity. However, what started as a spontaneous choice evolved into an extraordinary adventure!

The National Cybersecurity Challenge was hosted through an online platform and consisted of a mix of different challenges called Capture-The-Flag (CTF). CTF challenges consists of several challenges aimed at exploiting a system to find a hidden 'Flag', usually consisting of a password-like string. These tasks can be challenging at times however, this enhances the satisfaction of solving them even further. The CTFs for the National Cybersecurity Challenge were not only incredibly fun, yet they also provided an excellent learning opportunity about cybersecurity. 

I was one of the participants who passed the 1st selection which gave me the opportunity to progress towards the boot camp which took place through multiple sessions where I got to meet and network with experts in the field of cybersecurity and the other participants. Moreover, during these sessions, we had the opportunity of getting mentored by internationally renowned CTF competitors. This opportunity honed our skills, aided us to develop new tactics, learn about different tools and practice real-world scenarios which were crucial in our preparation for the European Challenge.

Fast forward to Vienna, the host city of the 2022 European Cybersecurity Challenge.   During the challenge, participants had the opportunity to explore and engage with fellow cybersecurity enthusiasts from different European countries. The challenge itself took place over two days and consisted of varying tasks and CTFs that we had to solve. This also included a hardware challenge, which usually involves manipulating microcontrollers and embedded systems, providing a greater challenge for anyone, particularly those interested in hardware.

Overall, this was an exceptional experience that not only broadened my knowledge but also allowed me to meet new people, make new friends and cultivate a strong bond with my teammates.

If you're interested in cybersecurity, please feel free to join us on 3rd May at MITA Data Centre in Santa Venera at 17:00 for a physical information session on the National Challenge 2024!

This article was written by Matthew James Scerri

Further information related to the Cyber Security Challenge may be found on the MITA-NCC website: https://ncc-mita.gov.mt/ecsc/