CyberChallenge.IT: over 3,000 enrolled, registration extended to 26 January

CyberChallenge.IT: over 3,000 enrolled, registration extended to 26 January

The sixth edition of CyberChallenge.IT is already a success before it even starts. In just ten weeks from the opening of registration, the training course for young computer security experts organised by the National Cybersecurity Laboratory of CINI (National Interuniversity Consortium for Informatics), has exceeded 3,300 applications. Participants are girls and boys aged between 16 and 24 who aspire to enter the “Hogwarts” of hackers, where they can learn for free the rudiments of computer security and, why not, consider a future career in this increasingly growing sector.

And it is to support and encourage their enthusiasm that the Laboratory has decided to extend registration for CyberChallenge.IT to 26 January, setting itself a challenge of 5,000 entries.

“This is only a small part of what the sector in Italy requires,” commented Paolo Prinetto, director of the Laboratory. “The director of the National Cybersecurity Agency, Roberto Baldoni, recently stated that the country needs 100 thousand well-trained cybersecurity experts. CyberChallenge.IT is answering the call, with the certainty that the school for young ethical hackers is destined to grow further in the years to come”.

Once registration is complete, work will begin to finalise the admission test, which will take place online on 29 January. The test will be used to select more than 700 students who will then participate in the cyber security training programme.

CyberChallenge.IT is the first national training programme for young talents between the ages of 16 and 24, designed to recruit and train the cyber defenders of the future. The programme’s organisers include 31 universities, the Tuscan Cybersecurity Competence Centre, the Comando per la Formazione e Scuola di Applicazione dell’Esercito in Turin and the Accademia Aeronautica in Pozzuoli.

University experts and leading companies in the sector will train young people in the scientific, technical and ethical principles of cybersecurity, alternating theoretical lessons with gamification and practical exercises on various topics such as cryptography, malware analysis and web security. Participants in the programme will learn how to analyse vulnerabilities and possible attacks in the different areas of cybersecurity and identify the most suitable solutions to prevent them. The programme will culminate in a final national competition that will elect the best Italian team.

TeamItaly

The best of the participants in the training and competitions will be invited to join TeamItaly, the Italian National Cyberdefender Team, which will then compete against other national teams in global events and competitions.

In 2020 CyberChallenge.IT obtained recognition from the Ministry of Education as a project for the promotion of excellence among secondary school students, to whom prizes and scholarships are awarded. The project has also won the prestigious “Best Practices in Education Award”, a European prize awarded annually by Informatics Europe and Microsoft to the best initiative for education and training in the field of IT security.

Further details and the list of participating sites are available on the website: www.cyberchallenge.it.