Trend Micro announces 5th edition of annual cybersecurity competition

Japan-based cybersecurity giant Trend Micro has announced the fifth edition of its Capture The Flag (CTF) competition. 

CTF, also called the Raimund Genes Cup, is an annual event that helps participants develop skills in forensics and exploitation, Internet of Things (IoT), reverse engineering, open source intelligence, mobile and machine learning solutions. 

The participating teams would be provided with challenges in key areas with real-world scenarios, an official statement said. 

“Without enough equipped professionals across the globe to actually implement security solutions for all businesses, the attackers will win,” said Hernan Armbruster, senior vice president, Americas & Strategic Products, Trend Micro.

Trend Micro is doing its part to add talent and bring more security practitioners into the field of cybersecurity by organising the event, Armbruster added. 

CTF 2019 will consist of two rounds, an online qualifier and the finals on November 23-24 in Tokyo. The latest edition will also have a new round known as Dynamic value that would further test the skills of the teams.  

 The winning team will receive close to $9,000 while the second and third place teams are set to receive close to $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

“A lack of qualified professionals is the most consistent security concern we hear from businesses,” said Mark Liggett, senior security analyst from Tulane University, New Orleans. Liggett also pointed out that equipping new professionals from all walks of life was the key to helping businesses to manage security and mitigate attacks. 

Trend Micro supports more than 50 similar competitions each year globally, including the main event. It also hosts close to 15 contests along with the Organisation of American States, a regional forum for political discussion and policy analysis in the western hemisphere. 

Trend Micro is planning to train and support 2,500 new cybersecurity professionals by 2022 through its five global centres.