Elevating cybersecurity talents: PwC Malaysia’s Capture the Flag competition takes centre stage

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 November 2023 – PwC Malaysia is excited to announce the conclusion of its inaugural Capture The Flag (CTF) competition, supported by CyberSecurity Malaysia yesterday. Held at the PwC Malaysia Kuala Lumpur office, the competition, called Hack A Day, serves as a platform to raise the competency level of future talents and help prepare them for a meaningful career in cybersecurity. The competition was held concurrently in multiple territories across Asia Pacific including Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia and Vietnam. It is one of the very few CTF competitions in Malaysia where students do not only compete amongst the Malaysia team, but also regionally in a challenge involving over 300 participants. 

In Malaysia, the three winners are: Team APT 69 of Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (champion), team A1ph4_Sh4rk! of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (first runner-up) and team DinoDefend3rs of Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (second runner-up).

The competition theme, ‘Securing AI,’ emphasises the significance of potential security risks tied to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The rapid integration of AI in the business landscape has reshaped workflows, amplifying efficiency and innovation. Nonetheless, this advancement has also given rise to intricate challenges concerning privacy and security¹. 

The competition provided undergraduate students a unique chance to interact with AI models and tools, demonstrating their problem-solving skills while competing against peers. It assessed teams across six hacking categories, including AI and Cloud, reflecting the nation’s gaps in capabilities and providing students with opportunities to learn new skills. Other categories include Red Team & Blue Team, Threat Intelligence & Incident Response, Web, and Binary & Reverse Engineering. The competition aims to immerse participants in a simulation of real-world cybersecurity scenarios, requiring them to apply cybersecurity principles and techniques, demanding a broad array of technical and critical thinking abilities.

PwC’s 2024 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey highlights that mitigating cyber risk is a top priority for businesses, technology and security executives globally. Organisations in Malaysia echo similar sentiments about cyber risks, particularly in ranking hack-and-leak operations as their top cyber threat. In response, an increasing number of organisations are now exploring the deployment of generative AI (GenAI)² tools to bolster their cyber defence capabilities among other measures. Encouragingly, 87% of business leaders in Malaysia highlighted that their leadership is focused on  the ethical and responsible use of GenAI tools in their organisations. 

Dato' Ts. Dr Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer, CyberSecurity Malaysia, said: 

“This collaboration with PwC Malaysia is not just a singular event, but part of a broader strategy to fortify our country’s cyber defences. We believe that by investing in talent, nurturing skills and elevating cybersecurity awareness, we are safeguarding the future of Malaysia in the digital age. Our commitment to raising cybersecurity awareness is bolstered by the strong support from the government, as evidenced by the allocation of RM60 million for the development of the 5G Cyber Security Testing Framework as well as 5G Technology Local Expertise announced during the tabling of Budget 2024 in October. This allocation underscores the government’s recognition of the critical need to address and combat cyber threats and scams on a national scale.”

With cybersecurity growing as a business imperative, the time is ripe for companies to rethink their cybersecurity due diligence and strategies and invest in cyber threat intelligence to be one step ahead of attackers at every stage. There is value in getting the next generation of talents onboard in the fight against cyber attacks. 

Clarence Chan, Digital Trust and Cybersecurity Partner, PwC Malaysia, said: 

“The CTF competition aligns perfectly with our belief in the ‘learn to hack, hack to learn’ notion, reaffirming our investment in identifying new cybersecurity talent among our youth. From CREST-recognised threat intelligence and simulation services to adversary simulation to mimic real-life threat actors, and penetration testing against applications and infrastructure, PwC is dedicated to proactively building a next-generation cybersecurity defence. Our strategic approach places emphasis on collaboration, education and the continuous evolution of cybersecurity defences. This philosophy also shapes our Digital Talents programme, which is designed to upskill our people and the larger community in the competencies essential for the digital era.”

The winners of the Malaysian leg of the CTF competition received prizes valued up to RM15,000 per team, job placements within PwC Malaysia’s Digital Trust and Cybersecurity practice upon completion of undergraduate studies, and sponsorships for the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certification or CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) examination, upon confirmation of employment.

ENDS