Contents

1. Track
2. Participants
3. Tasks
4. Changes this season
5. How to prepare
6. Benefits for winners
7. Opportunities for infosec enthusiasts

Track

There’s a number of job titles available in the infosec sector: some specialists find vulnerabilities in applications, others secure networks and devices, and still others investigate cyber incidents and develop cryptographic techniques to protect data. The Information and Cyber Security track focuses on the practical aspect of the field – participants will have to not only demonstrate their theoretical knowledge but also tackle real-world problems specialists face in their practice.

Participants

The competition is open to Bachelor’s, Specialist’s, and Master’s students who study at Russian universities. International students from Russian universities are also eligible to compete and qualify for the benefits provided by the contest. To participate in the competition, you need to register via the official website and choose the tracks you want to pursue.

Tasks

There are three rounds in the track: the first two – selection and semifinals – are held online via the Yandex Contest platform, while the finals take place on-site at ITMO. Participants will need to solve tasks across six areas: 

• academic cryptography – studying cryptographic algorithms and designs, finding errors, and justifying detected vulnerabilities mathematically;

• digital forensics – investigating cyber incidents and analyzing files and network traffic;

• vulnerability assessment – identifying weaknesses in client and service sides of web applications;

• reverse engineering – deconstructing software systems;

• AI security – conducting a vulnerability assessment of machine learning models;

• hardware security – preventing hardware from unauthorized data access and exfiltration.

Participants will be offered six tasks – one per each topic. They will have 240 minutes to complete the tasks; tasks can be done in any order.

Most of the tasks are CTF-like. These are simulations of infosec specialists’ work in a specifically-made secure environment: for instance, to scan a service, find a weakness, and obtain access to sensitive data. As in CTF contests, the task is deemed complete when a participant captures the “flag” – they submit their code to the system. In CTF terms, it means that a person located the vulnerability and gained access to protected data or, on the contrary, fixed the vulnerability in question.

Requirements for online and on-site rounds vary. In the finals, participants will work on computers with pre-installed software. They will have no access to the internet – but will be able to use some specified resources. This format has already been tested last season.

Changes this season

The organizers will add questions on the security of AI systems and hardware. These topics first appeared last season but there’ll be more of them in this one, as well. As noted by Alexander Menshchikov, the reason for that is the rising demand for specialists in AI and hardware security. The track, however, doesn’t lean towards new technologies exclusively; there’ll still be cryptography, network and operating system security, investigation of cyber incidents, and other more conventional branches of information security.

How to prepare

Review the selection round’s tasks

This website features all the necessary information needed to prepare for the contest’s tracks, including Information and Cyber Security. Here, you’ll find requirements, training materials, and recommended reading.

Work through the tasks from previous seasons

By studying the archive, you can learn more about the competition’s format and see what knowledge gaps you need to fill. Additionally, you can watch the contest’s webinars from previous seasons.

Solve tasks at CTF tournaments

The organizers recommend taking part in online cybersecurity contests. The tasks for the track are designed based on those used in the contests focused on competitive programming of information security systems – the format that is officially recognized as a sport in Russia. By doing it, you can practice your skills in analyzing traffic, finding vulnerabilities, and solving other applied tasks under a time limit.

Watch open classes and breakdowns

On the IT Space channel, you can find lectures, open classes, and CTF-like exercises, as well as cryptography materials. In mid-October, the organizers plan to run a webinar where they will analyze the tasks from previous seasons.

Benefits for winners

All medalists, winners, and diploma holders are entitled to admission bonuses, internship opportunities, and access to the I Am a Professional career portal. Bachelor’s students can use their results when applying to Master’s programs. Medalists will also get monetary prizes – up to 300,000 rubles.

Opportunities for infosec enthusiasts

ITMO’s Faculty of Secure Information Technologies has four Master’s programs in several relevant fields: digital protection, AI security, device operations, and the fundamentals of infosec.

Cybersecurity – this program is designed for those who are interested in practical challenges of cyberspace protection. It’s delivered online so you can take it from anywhere in the world.

Information Security – the program combines the field’s most conventional areas: security of networks and operating systems, cryptography, and others. Students can choose a specialization for their liking – whether it is in analytics, management, or cryptography. There’s also an English-taught track.

AI Systems Security – in this program, students learn how to protect AI systems and use AI to ensure security. Among the courses is AI agent security and other contemporary challenges at the intersection of machine learning and cybersecurity.

Unmanned Systems Security – the program welcomes applicants who are passionate about engineering, hardware systems, and control of autonomous vehicles (aerial, ground, and water). One of the program’s focuses lies in swarm algorithms that allow multiple devices to cooperate.

The track’s general partner is Sberbank.