Description

CyberShield 3.0 was organized in order to equip our youth with the skills and awareness needed to navigate the digital world securely and confidently. CyberShield 3.0, organized by the IEEE Computer Society of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) in collaboration with HashX Pvt. Ltd has significantly benefited the youth of Sri Lanka through its four comprehensive phases. This initiative aimed to educate school students about the threats and defenses prevalent in the cyber world across the island. Through a series of online workshops, CyberShield 3.0 reached not only local audiences but also engaged participants from diverse regions such as India, including young children and undergraduates. • Phase I: CyberShield 3.0 Online Career Guidance Session : CyberShield 3.0 launched with a series of online career guidance sessions aimed at school students and undergraduates. These sessions provided perspectives on exciting career pathways in cybersecurity, with a focus on introducing the field and the industry. The sessions were conducted on December 14th and 16th, 2023, via Microsoft Teams, with participation ranging from 100 to 300 attendees. • Phase II: CyberShield 3.0 Online Workshop Series : This phase involved a four-day online workshop series conducted by esteemed lecturers from SLIIT. The workshops, held from January 16th to 18th, 2024, were designed to provide attendees with a fundamental understanding of cybersecurity and real-world perspectives. • Phase III: CyberShield 3.0 Cybersecurity Article Writing Competition : The third phase featured a nationwide article writing competition exclusively for school students. The competition aimed to provide a solid foundation in cybersecurity by encouraging participants to research and articulate their understanding of the field through written articles. • Phase IV: CyberShield 3.0 Online Mentorship and CTF Challenge Preparation : In this phase, CyberShield 3.0 partnered with the Cybersecurity Community of SLIIT and HashX (Pvt) Ltd to provide mentorship sessions for undergraduates in preparation for the Capture the Flag (CTF) Challenge. These sessions, held on February 18th and 24th, 2024, aimed to equip participants with the skills and awareness needed for the upcoming competition. • Phase V: CyberShield 3.0 CTF Challenge : The final phase of the project was the highly anticipated CTF Challenge, held on March 10th, 2024, at Curtin Colombo. This inter-university competition involved undergraduates from various institutions competing in a six-hour hacking challenge that tested both technical and non-technical skills. The event provided participants with hands-on experience in solving cybersecurity problems and emphasized teamwork and collaboration.