It was a jubilant moment for the “GPT-111” team, which consisted of UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) students Tan Sin Chee and Lee Wei Song; and Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) Communications and Networking student Ang Boon Keat, as they secured the second spot at the rawSEC rENTAS CTF 2024 on 9 March 2024 at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Putrajaya Campus.

Coached by FICT Head of Programme for Master in Data Management and Analytics and Postgraduate Diploma in Data Management and Analytics Dr Aun Yichiet, the cybersecurity aficionados walked away with a cash prize of RM1,500 and an invitation to the upcoming rawSEC MINICON 2024.

Themed ‘Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking’, the rawSEC rENTAS CTF 2024 was a cybersecurity competition revolving around “Capture the Flag” (CTF) challenges. It was organised by a non-profit cybersecurity community, rawSEC, in collaboration with Gemas Lestari Sdn Bhd and EliteGhost Malaysia, aiming to promote cybersecurity awareness and unleash cybersecurity potential among the pool of university students in Malaysia.

Two phases of challenges were included in the competition, namely the “24-hour Online Qualification Round” (5 - 6 March 2024) and the “6-hour Final Round” (9 March 2024). Diverse categories of challenges were presented in the competition, including web, forensic, cryptography, reverse engineering, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), pwn, and hardware.

Being a seasoned player in the CTF competition, the leader of the trio Tan Sin Chee was overjoyed to be a part of the support to his team. He said, “I’m thrilled that we are qualified to enter the rawSEC MINICON 2024. As a long-time CTF player, I participated in this competition to put my skills to the test and discover new knowledge. Not to mention, winning the competition was a great achievement, as I believe my experience and knowledge played a significant role in our team’s success, which ultimately helped us to secure second place.”

Another enthusiast of deciphering puzzles and ciphers, Lee Wei Song enthused, “If Tab is 41, then what is 48 46 32 45 21 412 49 36 21 311 24 47 26 44 45 33 44 24 210 39 411 45 413. It is fun putting my effort into thinking, solving, or even creating puzzles and ciphers with my knowledge because they are cool. Through the process of creation, you will gain more knowledge about them and also develop a deeper understanding of how the creator made the puzzle, which are extremely useful in competitions.”

Eager to hone his problem-solving skills, Ang Boon Keat said, “Winning second place is a milestone that encourages us to aim even higher. Joining the rawSEC rENTAS CTF 2024 was an opportunity to challenge myself and stretch the limits of my problem-solving skills. It was about being part of a community that shares a passion for cybersecurity and innovation. The competition was a journey that tested our resilience, creativity and technical expertise. Every challenge was a learning opportunity, pushing us to think outside the box and work under pressure.”

The trio also thanked UTAR for providing them with access to more talents as well as opportunities to learn, grow and compete.

More than 100 teams from various Malaysian higher education institutions competed in the rawSEC rENTAS CTF 2024. Among the teams, a total of 30 teams were shortlisted and invited to participate in the final round at the UNITEN Putrajaya Campus. Ultimately, the top 10 teams were selected based on their performances in the final round.