Campus and Community

Técnico student wins international cybersecurity competition

Mariana Rio Costa is part of the European team that took top spot in the International Cybersecurity Challenge 2024.

The news arrives from Santiago de Chile – Mariana Rio Costa, an Applied Mathematics and Computation undergraduate student at Instituto Superior Técnico, is part of the winning team of the International Cybersecurity Challenge 2024, a competition organised by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) in the Chilean capital between 28 October and 1 November.

Throughout the competition, participants solved complex cybersecurity dilemmas, tackling cryptography, reverse engineering, digital forensics and web exploitation. The event brought together seven teams worldwide, with participants representing more than 80 countries.

“Since secondary school, I’ve developed a particular interest in cryptography”, says Mariana Rio Costa, describing an “initial involvement” that proved “fundamental in awakening her passion for this area”. According to the student, equally fundamental was Técnico’s role in her personal fulfilment, in the field of cybersecurity. “Studying at Técnico has been an enriching experience”, she says. “The challenging and stimulating environment at Técnico has been essential in preparing me for the challenges of the future, both professionally and personally”, she adds.

“This year we had Mariana at a great level in the final team”, confirms Pedro Adão, a professor at Técnico and one of the team’s coaches. Involved in the organisation of the International Cybersecurity Challenge 2024 since the year it was conceived, the researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) notes that “we have a lot of talent in Portugal and at Técnico, at the level of the best European talent”.

It’s not, however, the first time the student has participated in this competition. “Each edition brings the opportunity to overcome my limits, especially regarding technical knowledge”, shares Mariana. She also highlights the event as “a unique moment to meet professionals in the field”, which could come in handy for the “professional career focused on offensive cybersecurity, specialising in cryptography”.

Alongside this achievement, Mariana Rio Costa also took first place in the Kunoichi Cyber Games, another cybersecurity competition, as captain of the European women’s team. This competition took place between 13 and 15 November.