Cybersecurity Challenge PL2020 winners announced

The scenario tackled by the students was prepared by experts from the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs and consisted of cyberattacks on a pharmaceutical company supplying vaccines where production systems were compromised. The case also included a serious incident at a health care institution caused by a foreign criminal group. The situation was made even more realistic through the participation of “actors” whose role was played by employees of the Ministry of Digital Affairs. For two days, the teams were able to contact them to obtain key additional information essential to formulating their solutions, e.g. this included crucial facts on a batch of vaccines purchased by the army that impacted soldiers deployed on an international mission.

In solving the case, students played the role of “tiger groups” advising the government during the cyber-crisis. As the jury underlines, students:

• demonstrated their ability to have a helicopter view of the crisis and a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity ecosystem and its actors,
• presented sensible and coherent immediate steps to tackle the crisis & recommendations for future action,
• captured the need for cross-sectoral solutions and cooperation involving CSIRT: NASK, GOV, MON, and identified the international implications of the crisis,
• displayed exceptional organisational skills and an ability to function as effective interdisciplinary crisis response teams.

The project gives students a phenomenal base to further their expertise in cybersecurity. In the coming months we will work with them to establish regional cyber hubs across Poland. I am glad that the students are so eager to co-create this project, treating it as a tool to gain substantive and professional experience – Margo Koniuszewski, President of The Bridge Foundation.

Cybersecurity Challenge PL2020 is an innovative project that integrates students from five fields: IT medicine, law, business and military. It helps establish best practices and creates cross-sectoral communication channels. Originally, the event was planned on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, one of the key partners of the project. Due to the pandemic, it was held entirely on-line. The working environment was provided by Microsoft Polska. Distinguishing students from 65 universities were invited to take part including : Universities of technology, faculties of law, management/economics, medical and military academies. It is a community of 700 thousand students.

The project supports the activities of the Ministry of Digital Affairs in implementing the Act on the National Cybersecurity Ecosystem and fits into the strategy of the Polish Cybersecurity in the field of developing public awareness, aimed at safe use of cyberspace.

Universities represented by the laureates:

Łódz: Medical University of Łódz, Faculty of Medicine, University of Łódz, Faculty of Law and Administration and Faculty of Management, Technical University of Łódz, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science and Automation.
Opole: University of Opole Faculty of Medicine, Opole University of Technology Faculty of Electrotechnology, Electronics, Information Technology and Automation, University of Opole Faculty of Political Science and Social Communication.
Pomerania: Medical University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Law and Administration and Faculty of Management, Naval Academy in Gdynia, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
Greater Poland: Poznań Medical University, Faculty of Health Sciences, A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Law and Administration, Poznań University of Technology, Faculty of: Information Technology and Telecommunications and Management Engineering.

In each team, the military cadets came from the General T. Kosciuszko Land Forces Academy in Wroclaw (AWL), from the Faculty of Security Studies and the Faculty of Management.   

Jury
The jury brings together experts from a wide range of sectors, specialties and organisations including: the Warsaw Stock Exchange, National Bank of Poland, Business Continuity Group at the Polish Association of Banks, banks – Pekao SA, ING, BNP Paribas, the ISSA Poland association, the Central Office of Geodesy and Cartography, the Military Property Agency, the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, AVET Information and Network Security, Gawroński and Partners law firm, and Walkabout Games.

Patronage
Honorary patrons include the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Government Center for Security (RCB) and ISSA Poland.

Award Partner
Ericsson Poland supported the challenge by funding prizes for the laureates and was represented by Martin Mellor, Country Manager, during the award ceremony at the Warsaw Stock Exchange.  

Partnering Student Organisations
Law – ELSA Poland, medicine – IFMSA Poland, technical universities – FUT, Students Forum Business Centre Club and Erasmus Student Network Poland.

Cyberdiplomacy
Representatives of various embassies showed interest in the project and tournament including: Belgium, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

Social Awareness Campaign: Don’t click on sh*t!
Alongside the tournament, The Bridge runs a bilingual social campaign to warn about cybercrooks and fraudsters preying on the web to exploit fear and panic of COVID-19.

New Eastern Europe is a media partner of the project.

For more information contact: Adam Koniuszewski, Bridge Foundation: AdamKoniuszewski@mac.com

Bridge Foundation, cybersecurity, Poland