CyberChallenge.IT, a training program for young talents between 16 and 24 years old, is the main Italian initiative to identify, attract, recruit, and place the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Participation does not require expertise in programming, but rather a strong passion, commitment, and curiosity in scientific and technological disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Logical skills, problem-solving, communication abilities, and most importantly, a strong desire to learn are also needed.
Since 2020, CyberChallenge.IT has been recognized by the Ministry of Education as a project for the valorization of excellence; through these projects, the Ministry identifies initiatives and methods for recognizing levels of excellence achieved by students in upper secondary education.
From December 4, 2023, to February 8, 2024, it will be possible to register as participants in the eighth edition of the CyberChallenge.IT program. The requirements for registration are:
Registration can be done independently on the website by individuals interested in participating without any intervention needed from schools or universities.
On February 10, 2024, the first of two participant selection phases for the project will take place online. This first phase consists of a multiple-choice test with 15 questions and a duration of 60 minutes, to be completed online individually on a personal device, choosing an arbitrary starting time within the window from 14:00 to 19:00. The the end of the test is set for 19:00 regardless of the starting time: for those who start after 18:00 will be given only the time available remaining at 19:00.
The questions will cover logic, mathematics, algorithms, and basic computer science. Knowledge of specific programming languages or advanced cybersecurity topics is not required to pass this stage. Previous years' tests are available, with solutions, in the training materials section of the website.
In this phase, each correct answer is worth 1 point, up to a maximum of 15, while each wrong or unanswered question is worth 0 points. No penalty points are provided.
The first 60 participants, plus all further ties of the 60th place, will be admitted to the programming test, using only the score obtained as the sole discriminator. Particularly, the delivery time will not be considered for selection.
In cases of suspected cheating or collaboration, the organizers reserve the right to disqualify all involved participants.
Attention: between 2017 and 2020, this first selection phase was divided into "Pretest" and "Test". This single test, from 2021, replaces both of the previous ones, giving direct access to the programming test.
On February 13, 2024, the second and final selection phase for the CyberChallenge.IT 2024 project will take place, for those admitted from the pretest. In this phase, participants will be presented with 4 algorithmic or implementation problems, to be solved using a programming language. The test will last 3 hours to be chosen arbitrarily within the window from 14:00 to 19:00.
The official programming test will be available from 14:00 on February 13, and participants can take the test for a maximum duration of 3 hours, the start time being at the participants' discretion.
For each problem, participants can download a pdf file with the formal description of the problem, a series of example inputs and outputs, and several templates in some of the available languages that can be used as a starting point for implementing solutions.
Participants are required to run their solution code on their own machine using the inputs that can be downloaded for each subtask of the problem and upload the respective outputs and the source code used on the platform. The platform will provide immediate feedback on correctness, assigning the relevant score indicated. If the output is deemed correct, the respective points will be awarded, or in case of error, a new input file can be requested and reattempted with a new submission. The number of submissions or the time taken to write the solutions will not affect the final admission ranking.
There are no restrictions imposed by the organizers on the programming languages to be used for solving the problems: each participant is free to choose the language they consider best and, if necessary, use different languages for different problems. Previous years' tests, with solutions in C++ and Python, are available in the training materials section of the website.
For 2024, each venue can choose whether to conduct this test in person or entirely online and, if necessary, impose restrictions on languages and/or libraries not to be used during the test. Those admitted will receive communication from their venue about the conduct of the programming test at the end of the Pretest.
At the end of this test, a weighted average between the score of the Pretest and that of the Programming Test will be calculated. The final ranking will be compiled in descending order of score and, in the event of a tie, in ascending order of age. Each venue will select from this ranking a maximum of 20 official participants, who will form the team for the training phase, plus a maximum of 5 reserves, who can follow the lessons and step in during the training if any of the officials decide to withdraw. Reserves who have not stepped in at the end of the training phase will not take part in the local competition and may participate again in the project in subsequent years if they meet the necessary requirements.
Each admitted participant will be asked to confirm active participation in the project, i.e., the commitment to follow the training course during the 12 weeks and participate in the planned events. By accepting participation, one is considered an effective participant in the project, and withdrawal during the course means it is not possible to re-participate. Exceptions are documented reasons or particular situations that will be evaluated individually.
Attention: the representatives of each venue have the authority to correct and possibly manually reevaluate the submissions of the Programming Test. Therefore, the score displayed by the platform should only be considered as an indication for the participant of the correctness of the proposed solution, but may not reflect the true score assigned by the venue's responsible.
Between February and May 2024, the training phase will take place at various sites. The program consists of 12 weeks of training, managed autonomously by each venue in terms of methods, dates, and times, mainly focusing on cryptography, hardware security, network security, software security, and web security. Each week will feature a 2-hour theoretical lesson and a 4-hour practical lesson, focusing on applying the studied techniques to solve challenges in the style of local and national competitions.
All participants will also be provided with access to the official training portal of the project, where slides, video lessons, and exercises prepared by the national coordinators and divided by topic will be uploaded, along with the challenges proposed in previous local competitions. Credentials and access methods to this portal will be communicated to the admitted after the selection phase.
If you want to train independently before the start, the training portal of the Italian Cybersecurity Olympics with various educational modules and hundreds of training challenges of varying difficulty is available at training.olicyber.it.
Attendance at the trainings, whether in person or online, is mandatory for all official participants. In the case of unexcused absence for 3 consecutive meetings, one will be considered a dropout and will not be able to participate in the local competition. Each site may make this rule more stringent by imposing a minimum number of lessons to attend.
Participation in the training course can be recognized by the individual participating universities as a PCTO (Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e l'Orientamento) project for high school students or as CFU (Crediti Formativi Universitari) credits for university students. Modalities, agreements, and recognitions are at the complete discretion of the individual universities that manage the procedures.
The local competition will take place on May 29, 2024. This phase will consist of a "Capture The Flag" (CTF) type competition in Jeopardy format, to be undertaken individually according to the modalities decided by each venue. This type of competition includes a series of practical challenges, the same type encountered during training.
Through this competition, each venue will select the 6 participants who will take part in the National Competition. More information on the conduct of this phase and the selection process will be provided to participants during the training phase.
At the end of the local competition, each venue will autonomously organize an award ceremony to celebrate the journey during the training months, to hand out participation certificates, and to award prizes to the winners of the competition.
Following the training phase and the local final competition, the national final of the CyberChallenge.IT 2024 program will be held at the ITCILO training campus in Turin. This phase will consist of a "Capture The Flag" (CTF) competition in Attack & Defense format, to be played in teams, with the 6 participants selected from each venue. The dates for the national competition are being defined and will be communicated as soon as possible. As in previous editions, the competition will last 4 days, including arrival and departure days.
A team of 6 members from each participating venue will compete in the national competition. Accommodation and meals at the campus or nearby facilities, for the entire duration of the event, are provided by the organization. Travel to and from the campus must be organized independently by all participants and will be reimbursed after the event according to the indicated modalities.
All participants are expected to arrive at the Campus on the 3rd July 2024. In the late afternoon and evening, a brief simulation will be held to test the competition room, connectivity, and the gaming platform.
The participants will face the national final on Thursday 4 July, with their own laptop, which they must bring to the competition venue. Internet connection will be provided by the organization. Generally, additional devices or accessories other than a mouse, keyboard, and PC charger are not allowed; in particular, the use of additional screens is not permitted. If a participant needs to use auxiliary devices, they must request authorization from the organizers at least 7 days before the event, who will evaluate each case and communicate their decision.
The following day, Friday 3 July, is divided into three parts. In the morning, the captains of the top 8 teams will be called to give a presentation on one of the services addressed the previous day. These presentations will be evaluated by a mixed jury composed of site representatives, sponsor company professionals, and institutional representatives and will contribute to the final score.
Mid-day will feature a recruitment fair where participants can meet and interact with professionals from the sponsor companies of the project.
In the afternoon, the award ceremony will take place, attended by the organizers, national and international authorities, and representatives of leading cybersecurity companies sponsoring the project.
The fourth and last day of Saturday 6 July is dedicated to the second edition of the CyberChallenge.IT Workshop, whose participation is on a voluntary basis, during which a series of participants, ex-participants and invited speakers will hold a series of practical seminars relating to the world of CTF competitions. The related call-for-presentation (CFP) is expected to be published this month of May.
Further details on the competition modalities and the conduct of the event will be communicated later.
The best participants of the CyberChallenge.IT project can compete to become part of TeamItaly: the Italian National Cyberdefender Team representing Italy in international competitions.
In Europe, ENISA organizes the European Cybersecurity Challenge (ECSC) annually to foster the exchange of knowledge and talents across Europe. The competition is open to all European countries, and each nation participating in the event competes with a team of 10 players aged between 14 and 25 years.
For the 2024 edition, the European Cybersecurity Challenge will take place from October 7 to 11 2024, in Turin, Italy.