GenCyber 2023

Throughout the camp, we strived to ensure students fully grasped the fundamental concepts of cybersecurity and their applications. We broke down lectures and labs into manageable portions to aid comprehension. For instance, an entire day was devoted to blockchain technologies, including their applications, correlations with other cybersecurity fields, and associated ethical aspects. This knowledge was expanded in subsequent sessions, where students explored Bitcoin, cryptography, Ethereum, and smart contracts.

Equally important was our focus on promoting responsible and ethical use of computing technology. The CIA triad was a key theme throughout the camp, linked to all teaching activities to ensure students understood its concepts and applications. We delved into topics such as defense in depth, ethical hacking, and social engineering, particularly concerning the field of cryptocurrencies, highlighting their legality and utilization for research and educational purposes.

Our teaching philosophy emphasizes the connection between theoretical concepts and practical application. We ensured this by enabling students to comprehend how cryptocurrencies and blockchain operate from a technical standpoint. This was achieved through labs involving activities like Raspberry Pi Bitcoin mining, creating smart contracts, simulating 51% attacks, and a final Capture The Flag (CTF) competition. The CTF competition allowed students to apply everything learned during the lectures, from cryptography and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) to smart contract creation and encryption.

Ultimately, our primary objective was to foster intellectual curiosity, inspiring students to continue research post-camp. We nurtured this curiosity by offering enriched lectures, interactive labs, fun activities, and the opportunity to engage with guest speakers from various cybersecurity sectors. Visits to our Cybersecurity Center exposed students to the latest equipment used for cybersecurity research and showcased the center's activities, such as real CTF competitions, conferences, and workshops. We are pleased to report that these efforts successfully kindled a strong interest in cybersecurity among the students, inspiring them to stay involved in the field.

Gencyber Students and Mrs. Ileana Van Der Linde(J.P Morgan - Executive Director Asset and Wealth Management Cyber Advisory Division) after her presentation Securing Mobile Divises

Gencyber Students and Ms. Claire Biasco (IoTeX Blockchain - Project Lead ) after her presentation on career awareness and Blockchain development in various sectors.

Gencyber Students were conducting a lab simulation of different blockchain attacks to understand their ethical implications better.

“The Spams Team” is working on conducting research for their CTF competition Preparation

GenCyber Graduate Teaching Assistant (on the right) explaining a lab activity to GenCyber students