IN an age when cyber threats constantly loom, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) continues to equip future tech enthusiasts with cybersecurity skills to enhance the nation’s cyber resilience.
Turning students’ passion for technology into useful cybersecurity skills, the DICT hosted its annual ‘Hack for Gov’ competition on August 19, with students from 10 state universities and colleges across the Ilocos Region competing.
The event became a battleground of minds and skills, testing their cybersecurity knowledge and teamwork. It gave them hands-on experience in ethical hacking through Capture-the-Flag challenges that tackled simulated cybersecurity threats across areas such as network security, cryptography, and digital forensics.
For third-time joiner Ana Victoria Alentajan of the Universidad de Dagupan (UdD) in Pangasinan, teamwork was her team’s biggest advantage: ‘[W]e trained together for several days. We got to know each other and understand how we work, so it became easier for us to communicate during the competition.’
Lizmer Aleda Santillan from the same school also said they divided the topics and categories among team members before combining their findings: ‘Our preparation was really about building chemistry within the team. We [each studied different topics and categories], and then we brought all our knowledge together.’
Productive, ethical hacking
BEYOND the contest, Santillan said the hacking event also helped them grow and gain confidence. She said ‘competitions and events like this allow us to grow and encourage us to step out of our comfort zones.’
The team ‘Angels Wings’ from the Mariano Marcos State University in Ilocos Norte won the competition. They were followed by ‘CyberOwls Beta’ from the UdD, which secured second place, and ‘MLUC tr0jans’ from the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-Mid La Union Campus in La Union, which took third spot.
DICT officer-in-charge and regional director Jaemie Ruiz-Chua said the competition enables students to put to the fore their ethical hacking skills in simulated real-world situations: ‘Hack for Gov engages our passionate IT enthusiasts. They apply ethical hacking because hacking can also be used for wrong reasons.’
Ruiz-Chua emphasized the importance of turning their skills into something productive, particularly in protecting government systems from cyber threats. For her, ‘instead of [giving hacking] a negative connotation, we turn it into something productive and helpful, especially for our country.’
Passion for tech
THE competition also aims to identify and nurture cybersecurity talents who may contribute to the country’s cybersecurity workforce and, subject to eligibility, represent the country in international cybersecurity competitions.
The DICT official likewise encouraged more schools and ICT enthusiasts to join similar competitions in the future. Interested participants may coordinate with the department’s Region 1 office and submit a letter of intent for consideration.
The regional office also offers free technical and upskilling training programs to help students and ICT enthusiasts further develop their skills.
Through the competition, students not only have a platform to compete but also an opportunity to turn their passion for technology into skills that can help build a safer digital environment for the country.