The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA), in collaboration with Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., has kicked off the 'Thailand Cyber Top Talent 2023' competition, which aims to empower participants - school and university students, as well as the general public - to learn, upskill, and enhance their cybersecurity knowledge through hands-on experience and build a talented digital workforce to enter the job market in future. In addition, the program will also boost overall awareness surrounding cyber threats in Thailand. The qualifying competition was held on September 16, 2023, with a Jeopardy-style Capture the Flag (CTF) format. The winner of the competition will have the opportunity to represent Thailand at the Cyber SEA Game later this year.
Air Vice Marshal Amorn Chomchoey, Secretary General of the National Cyber Security Agency, said: "NCSA and Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd. are committed to hosting Thailand Cyber Top Talent - the biggest cyber competition in Thailand - for its third year. This year, the competition has been separated into 3 tiers, with a total of 2,323 participants from 831 teams. School and university students from across the country, as well as members of the general public who have an interest and extensive skills in cybersecurity, can fully demonstrate their potential and talent. This program will provide young people with cybersecurity skills - ranging from introductory to international competition levels - and will enhance their capabilities to enable them to join a future cybersecurity workforce. Most importantly, we would like to thank leading cybersecurity organizations such as TB-CERT, SOSECURE, Secure-D Center, McAiden, IT Select Lab, KTB Redteam Group-IB, X-10, AML, Secureinfo, Nexwave, logrythm, metro, akamai, GovernTrust, MFEC, Bangkok energy, Mayaseven, TECHPIXEL, and goipnow who have helped share their knowledge with contestants through extensive trainings and have equipped them with the skills necessary for the competition. On behalf of the National Cyber Security Agency, I believe that 'Thailand Cyber Top Talent 2023' will upskill Thailand's cybersecurity workforce to stay globally competitive."
For Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., cybersecurity is a top priority and an area in which they have been collaborating with various sectors to continue strengthening their capabilities. Over several years, Huawei has collaborated with the government and the private sector in Thailand to drive various cybersecurity projects and lay a solid foundation for cybersecurity and data protection in the country in order to equip companies and government agencies with robust plans to tackle future cyber threats.
The preliminary round of the competition was initially held online to select finalists from over 30 teams. The first stage of the competition was then held in a Jeopardy-style CTF format, while the final round will be held in an 'Attack the Virtual World' format on September 30. The competition will be held at Centara Grand Hotel, Central Plaza Ladprao, Bangkok, with awards totaling over 521,000 Thai Baht in value. At the event, there will also be special sessions demonstrating the latest mobile phone hacking tricks and applications that are used to drain bank accounts. Those who are interested in supporting and cheering on the contestants can both register and get more information on the NCSA Thailand Facebook Fanpage.