Amrita Center for Cybersecurity Systems and Networks organized the InCTF Junior Security Contest for senior school children nationwide. The event took place virtually this year owing to the pandemic – without an iota of reduction in spirits! This is the fifth year that the CTF junior is being conducted by Amrita. The only participant pre-requisite for this contest was enrolment in a K-12 school. Various domains in Cybersecurity such as Web Application Security, Network Security, Cryptography, Reverse Engineering and Binary Exploitation were covered by the contest. The contest was unique in the challenges of real-life scenarios and problems in the industry. Participation enhances contestant’s all-rounded knowledge and serves as steppingstones to build competence in cybersecurity for those wanting to specialize in the area. The event helps to identify cybersecurity talents in India to cater to the government’s requirements in increasing Cyber talents in the country.

The event was coordinated by Prof. Vipin Pavithran and Dr. Krishnashree Achuthan from the department of Cyber Security Systems and Networks. The event started at 3 pm on December 27, with a prayer followed by a welcome address by Dr. Balakrishnan Shankar, Associate Dean, Amritapuri Campus. Dr. Krishnashree gave an overall account of the events on Cyber Security at Amrita. The keynote address was given by Dr. Biswajit Saha, who is the director for vocational education and skills training in CBSE. The contest details were given by Prof. Vipin Pavithran followed by a vote of thanks from Prof. Sumeet Behl.

Around 1700 students from 24 states and 4 Union territories had participated in this event. Rajvardhan Agarwal from Kiit International School, Odisha won first place and Nilabha Saha from Oxford Independent PU College, Karnataka won second place and Jones Martin from Good Shepherd English School, Puducherry won third place. The valedictory event took place on January 13, 2021.