The URJC wins a Civil Guard competition on cybersecurity

David Viera

This last quarter of 2023, the implementation of this project took place, which seeks to enhance the talent of young participants specialized in the field of cybersecurity, directing it towards companies and other public institutions, improving these and creating a “cybersecurity ecosystem.” in Spain. More than 1200 participants took part in this event, distributed in 3 different categories: pre-amateur, amateur and professional.

The winning team of the competition, nicknamed “Jinchomaniacos” and made up of URJC students, achieved a total of 7.209 points through the various activities proposed by the organization. Only 33 points more than the second, “lowkey”, whose members are also URJC students, obtaining 7.176 points. These students mostly belong to the Cybersecurity degree, the doctorate of the GRAFO group, or are regular participants in events offered by the URJC, such as the “HackOn” Congress and the cybersecurity courses offered by the Higher School of Computer Engineering of the URJC.

“A truly gratifying success”, is how the members of “Jinchomaniacos”, the winning team of the edition, define this triumph, who affirm that “comradeship and collaboration have been key aspects to achieve this achievement.” A tournament whose proposed challenges have been complex and stimulating, including tests of reversing, cryptography or forensic analysis, among others, having to face a large number of problems in a short space of time, especially in the final phase.

The format not only tested the skills of the participants, but also their ability to plan, strategy and adapt under pressure, “even having to develop incident response plans, analyze current legislation to determine which laws were being broken in the scenario of the challenges, simulating a legal and response team of a real company” explain the members of the winning team.

Among the prizes obtained by the winners are a trip sponsored by Huawei to Shenzhen, study scholarships, internships and job offers in various companies, and various gifts related to the world of ICTs. “All in all, the experience has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. We are very grateful for the treatment received, and we encourage all those who like the world of cybersecurity to sign up,” concluded the winners of the event.