The STT team that represented Instituto Superior Técnico in Volga CTF2017 Cybersecurity Competition achieved an honourable 10th place in the final ranking, allowing participation in the finals to be held from 18th to 22nd September in Samara, Russia.

Once a month, Técnico students from several courses join professor Pedro Adão, to remotely compete with cyber security experts. The number of members per teams varies from competition to competition, but an average team has about 10 members. Técnico’s team usually ranks in the Top 50. According to professor Pedro Adão, who coordinates the team, “it’s very good, once many of these teams are composed of professionals who work in this area”.

The team started competing in October 2014 and since then they have been participating in several competitions. The secret of their success is “to explore the best skills”, says the STT coordinator. “What distinguishes us is precisely the skills of each member”, adds professor Pedro Adão. This is the team’s first final and it is expected to be “a truly cyber war”, he adds.

STT group is open to any student, “they just have to know a little of cyber security and have a lot of perseverance”. The students who are often interested in these competitions are from Information Systems and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Electrical and Computer Engineering “however, to enjoy learning is the unique requirement for participation”, says the professor.