Across the country, Canadian students competed in the CyberPatriot , a global youth cybersecurity competition. Out of over 300 Canadian teams the top 10 were selected to compete head to head in the CyberTitan national finals. Now in its 3rd year, CyberTitan has grown to be one of the largest national youth cyber defence competitions. So what does it take to be a CyberTitan? Through the “Meet the CyberTitans” blog series, hear from the teams that will be competing on June 8th in the first ever virtual CyberTitan competition.
Team Maroon: Old Scona Academic School in Edmonton, Alberta
Coach Gerald Chung
“We are the Olympians - Team Maroon from Old Scona Academic School in Edmonton, Alberta. I was introduced to CyberTitan in 2018-2019. This competition allows students from across the globe to compete in challenges that requires them to collaborate and work as a team. We chose to take part to further our skills in cybersecurity, team work and cooperation. This competition motivates our students to make the cyber world a safer place to be part of. We are proud to represent our school in this prestigious national event.”
Steven
What encouraged you to join CyberTitan?
I was on the team last year and I was encouraged to join again. It is pretty interesting to learn more about cyber security and compete on an international level.
How has CyberTitan changed your perspective on the importance of Cybersecurity?
It has brought to my awareness its importance to our daily lives and the tremendous opportunity in this area.
What are your favourite snacks?
Free snacks, but besides that frozen blueberries are really good.
If your team was trapped on a desert island and could bring three things with you to survive, what would you bring?
I see that this question has changed to be less exploitable this year… I would bring plantable food, a water distillation apparatus, and a cat.
What is your best memory from participating in CyberTitan?
Getting our network compromised by the red team was a fun time.
What’s your favourite social media to use?
Instagram for now.
If you were to go “viral” for something, what would it be?
A protein folding machine learning algorithm.
Inho
What encouraged you to join CyberTitan?
I was interested in the field of computing and engineering, and was curious about the field of cybersecurity! I had taken the cybersecurity and CISCO courses offered at my school and wanted to learn more about this emerging field of technology. As I am planning to go into Systems Design or Computer Engineering at University, CyberTitans has shown me a potential career for my future - cybersecurity!
How has CyberTitan changed your perspective on the importance of Cybersecurity?
CyberTitan made me realize the various ways that vulnerabilities are made in computers with various different operating systems. I realized that there was a crucial and growing importance of Cybersecurity in this globalized world - as computers are the basis of a lot of systems, it is important to learn how to prevent attacks and fix vulnerabilities to protect against mass damage.
What are your favourite snacks?
Anything with chocolate - bars, ice cream, cookies!
If your team was trapped on a desert island and could bring three things with you to survive, what would you bring?
Generator, router, computer.
What is your best memory from participating in CyberTitan?
My best memory is brainstorming with my teammates and discussing technology during lunchtimes - it’s amazing to be in an environment with friends and teachers who share the same passion for computers!
What’s your favourite social media to use?
Reddit and Discord.
If you were to go “viral” for something, what would it be?
Something to do with music - I sometimes perform music with my friends!
What’s your favourite tv show to binge watch?
Kingdom - a zombie political thriller.
Sarah
What encouraged you to join CyberTitan?
I was invited to join in my first year of high school, and since then I have become a core member of the team. Ultimately, it was just the challenge and team aspects that really appealed to me as I had never really done any competitive group competitions.
How has CyberTitan changed your perspective on the importance of Cybersecurity?
It showed me that it is a much larger industry than I had ever thought. I hardly realized how extensive and critical cybersecurity was in the context of modern industry; CyberTitan clearly showed me that this is of the utmost importance as we become more technologically dependent (especially in a time such as a pandemic).
Abhinav
What encouraged you to join CyberTitan?
I had been programming for quite a while with Swift and had dabbled a fair bit with web development in the past. However, I had no experience with cybersecurity or internet safety. It was my desire to learn about this domain and extend my technical skills that encouraged me to join CyberTitan. Additionally, I was inspired by my classmates who excelled in CyberTitan and shared my interests in technology.
How has CyberTitan changed your perspective on the importance of Cybersecurity?
I was not aware of how many vulnerabilities can exist in a system and how easy it can be for someone with sufficient expertise to use this to their advantage. CyberTitan has revealed to me how an insecure system can be easily compromised and result in many harmful breaches. For me, this has definitely heightened the importance of cybersecurity.
What are your favourite snacks?
My favourite snacks are munchies, with all the assorted chips, pretzels and crackers.
If your team was trapped on a desert island and could bring three things with you to survive, what would you bring?
I would bring a lighter, first-aid kit, and water desalination device.
What is your best memory from participating in CyberTitan?
My best memory from CyberTitan is when my team and I could not figure out one of the answers to a forensics question until the very last minute. Our effort appeared to be to no avail until right before we shut down we were awarded points for finally answering the question correctly. Those few points were crucial for sustaining my team’s run.
What’s your favourite social media to use?
Instagram by a long shot.
If you were to go “viral” for something, what would it be?
It would most likely be an “educational” YouTube video on some obscure topic that I like teaching people about. Maybe a facts compilation or a tutorial of some sorts.
What’s your favourite tv show to binge-watch?
Currently, I am hooked to Ozark, otherwise, Suits.
