'HackOn 2025' kicks off on the Móstoles campus

Daniel Blazquez

One more year, the URJC hosts the 'HackOn', an event that revolves around cybersecurity and is coordinated by students from the university itself. On this occasion, the novelty lies in that, for the first time since its creation, these sessions will be held over two consecutive days: thus, Friday will be fully dedicated to presentations, while the workshops will take place on Saturday morning. In this sense, it should be noted that the conferences will be held in the Aula Magna of Aulario I on the Móstoles campus; the practical part, on the other hand, will be developed in different classes in the aforementioned classroom.

Likewise, another of the substantial changes that this 'HackOn' has experienced compared to previous years has been the entry of sponsors. In this seventh edition, the following stand out: redea, as a 'diamond sponsor' and minsait, Extreme Networks y Airbus as 'gold sponsors'. Precisely, these last three, together with the URJC itself, give name to each of the four classrooms in which the workshops will be held.

On the other hand, one of the main attractions of these days is the CTF ('Capture The Flag') competition, set up as an online competition for teams of a maximum of 3 members. This test is not only designed for experts, but also for those whose level is not advanced or who do not master a discipline: in this sense, the organization allows, at the end of the competition, that the different participants comment on the solutions through a discord server among themselves, with the aim of promoting mutual learning.

URJC, a pioneer in cybersecurity in Spain

Thanks to the degree in Cybersecurity Engineering, the URJC became the first Spanish university to offer official courses related to this field. Antonio González Pardo, coordinator of the degree and member of the organizing committee of 'HackOn', has highlighted the importance for the University of hosting these events, since "there are very few events of this calibre at a national level."

Likewise, although the organization has a significant number of prestigious speakers from outside the institution, it has also sought "the participation of graduate students, who return to their university to participate in this event and can contribute their experience through different talks or workshops."

In short, according to González Pardo, being the headquarters of 'HackOn' means, for the URJC, "a brutal impact, which allows the University to establish itself in the international cybersecurity panorama with considerable strength."