National Hackathon Challenge Targets Cyberthreats
Australian cybersecurity firm Shearwater is preparing for its fourth, annual, Application Security Hackathon that puts Australia’s brightest and best code developers and online security professionals head-to-head in a virtual hacking challenge.
Individuals and team competitors from around Australia will gather in venues across Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane and meet online, concurrently, to earn points in this ‘capture the flag’ style challenge as they attempt to exploit intentional vulnerabilities in two custom-made, fully functional targets. This year’s targets, an eCommerce website and an HR website, feature vulnerabilities in a variety of forms, just as they are all too commonly found in commercial applications.
Shearwater’s Chief of Strategy, Shannon Lane, said that the Hackathon couldn’t come at a better time, after the increased number of high-profile breaches that we’ve seen in the media.
“Contemporary cybersecurity challenges should be clear to most people. Certainly, the number and severity of breaches are increasing year on year. Testing your environment and cybersecurity defences are a cornerstone of good practice in an always-on world where the impact of breaches, data loss and expensive remediation loom large” said Mr Lane.
“Our Hackathon encourages participants to look at applications through the eyes of an adversary, to identify and understand security weaknesses and then have some fun trying to exploit those weaknesses is a safe and supporting environment.”
“In the same way that you test software and infrastructure, these challenges are designed to test our intellectual infrastructure, testing skills, creativity and lateral thinking. The immersive environment across four cities is a great way to learn, build skills and make connections.”
“The Shearwater Hackathon is now in its fourth year, and we are proud that this event is accessible to experts and students alike. We see this as a way to support the local cybersecurity industry, and help it to go from strength-to-strength through the development of great skills and great teams” said Mr Lane.
Powered by the CMD + CTRL Cyber Range from security training provider, Security Innovation, the Hackathon will challenge competitors to think like a malicious hacker for the day and, guided by cheat sheets, learning labs and application security experts, learn the skills needed to keep data safe.
Tony Luzza, Global Channel Manager at Security Innovation said: “This challenge attracts software developers, testers and security managers to the event and we’re seeing a huge interest from students to upskill and practice their talents against industry experts.”
Registrations for Shearwater’s Hackathon are now open to individuals and teams of up to four participants. For further information, visit: https://www.shearwater.com.au/hackathon
About Shearwater Solutions
Shearwater is a specialist information security services provider. Since 2003, the company has secured the technology and flow of information that has enabled millions of transactions across government and private organisations. Shearwater’s expertise and contribution to the information security landscape has positioned the company at the forefront of security education, penetration testing, operational security management and threat intelligence. The company also enables organisations to implement rigorous security policies and helps them achieve, maintain and prove compliance with security standards.
Shearwater provides one of the most comprehensive security reports in Australia. Its executive level reporting highlights to organisations the risks associated with the security of their information, whilst also providing actionable recommendations to the internal security team. The company prides itself on its client communication, customer service, fast response and on-time delivery.