THREE TEAMS TO ENTER THE FINAL ROUND FOR F-SECURE’S NATIONAL LEVEL IT COMPETITION

Kuala Lumpur, 14 April 2014 – It was an intense battle between nine teams at the 2014 F-Secure National Inter-Varsity IT Security semi-final competition. Three teams from University Sains Malaysia (Team N2L and Team The Bounty Hunter) as well as team Xposure from Multimedia University Malacca overcame all odds to make it through to the finals – one step closer for a chance to be crowned the champion.

This programme is the brainchild of F-Secure Malaysia. Together with Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), this initiative aims to develop local talents and encourage more Malaysian undergraduates to venture into the field of IT security through education.

(L-R, 3 individuals in a team, forming a triangle each) Teams Xposure, N2L and The Bounty Hunter will be competing for the title in the finale of 2014 F-Secure Inter-Varsity IT Security Competition.

Goh Su Gim, Security Advisor Asia Pacific, F-Secure Labs commented, “All full-time IT undergraduates enrolled in all Malaysian public and private universities have the opportunity to participate in this friendly competition. It provides an avenue for them to apply their academic knowledge and personal interest in the field of IT security. This annual competition has gained traction through the years since it was introduced five years ago and we are pleased to know that more and more students are taking part”.

Over the past month, officials from F-Secure set out to administer qualifying tests to almost 174 participants making up the 52 teams from 23 universities. The responses were encouraging with teams flown in from various states to participate in the Semi-Finals today.

The nine semi-finalists included:

UNIVERSITY	TEAM NAME
University Sains Malaysia	N2L
Multimedia University Malacca	Xposure
Taylors University	Flying Monkeys
University Putra Malaysia	3ecure
MSU	MsuOne
University Sains Malaysia	The Bounty Hunters
University Tenaga Nasional	CySec
Sunway University	Anony
University Malaysia Sabah	Eminence

This year, the level of excitement at the semi-finals has gone up a notch whereby the teams had to try and complete five hands-on technical puzzles of different complexity level. Upon completing a puzzle, only then will the team proceed to the next puzzle - the aim is to complete all five. The puzzles tested their programming skills and critical thinking skills, e.g. finding clues within a program to get to the next puzzle. 

“The top 3 teams were selected based on their understanding of the IT security domains such as malware and IT threats, as well as their ability to apply what they learnt in the classroom and their personal time into real world puzzles and problems. Criteria such as critical thinking, problem solving, presentation of the results and teamwork within the team (in a timely manner) determined their chances to proceed to the finals. They are basically the best of the best advancing into the finals”, explained Goh.

The nine teams gave their best in getting a spot into the finals while the committee members (those in yellow top) strived their best in developing the challenges for the participants.

One of the finalists, N2L team from University Sains Malaysia was overjoyed when they were announced as one of the finalists for the competition. Having the background of Computer Science, this first timer was made of Lim Yen Sheng (24), Lee Chi Ngan (23) and Law Jia Jge (23). “We never thought that we could make it into the finals as the hands-on challenge was pretty challenging,” Lim said. Lee continue, “For the upcoming final, we will be focusing on the topics shared and we will try our best in being a competitive opponent to the two other teams”.

  

On the other hand, team Xposure from Multimedia University Malacca who are currently pursuing an IT degree majoring in Security Technology were also ecstatic to know that they will be competing with two other teams. Leader of the team, Tan Chee Hong (21) along with two other members, Ling Cong Xiang (20) and Sia Hooi Lip (24), were also first-timers in this competition. Tan said, “The final round will be a tough one with two other strong opponents from USM but we will definitely be more prepared than ever to win the competition.”

The three finalists will advance to the final round on 25 April 2014 and will stand a chance to win the grand prize - three branded, high-end Windows 8 laptops worth RM5, 000 each, while the 1st runner-up team will receive three Android tablets worth RM2, 000 each and the 2nd runner-up team will walk away with three smart-watches worth RM500 each. 

“With the ever increasing reliance on our digital gadgets, be it smartphone, tablet, etc, most things are documented, stored and communicated through it. If we are not careful, our data can be accessible to simply anyone. It is important now than ever to protect our data. As IT progresses rapidly, the IT security industry is a burgeoning one as we will be liken to a police in a digital realm. We hope to increase genuine interest amongst the younger generation for internet security in Malaysia. With that, we look to continue investing in them and developing their knowledge and skills so that we can address as well as prevent IT security issues in the country,” Goh explained.

For more information about F-Secure Malaysia and their services, please visit            http://www.f-secure.com or call 603 2264 0200. You can also connect with F-Secure through Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FSecure and follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fsecure.