The Secretary of State for Security closes the III National League of Challenges in Cyberspace organized by the Civil Guard
The event was also attended by Iker Casillas, a former Spanish footballer, an authentic example of sacrifice, improvement and team play, who has been the godfather of this third edition and the athlete and Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, Teresa Perales, who was godmother of the second edition
The NetOn team has been the winning team in the “Amateur” competition, made up of students from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Open University of Catalonia; and the winner of the “Professional” competition has been the Joint Command of Cyberspace (MCCE)
80 students, 14 women and 66 men, university and Vocational Training students from different autonomous communities participated in the “Amateur” competition. In the "Professional" competition, 8 teams have participated, made up of members of the Security Forces and Bodies, as well as agencies and other national and international organizations with competencies in cybersecurity.
With this edition, the participation of Vocational Training students and entrepreneurship has been promoted, for which business projects presented by the participating teams will be supported to try to transform them into true startups
The Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, has closed this afternoon at the academy of officers of the Civil Guard of Aranjuez (Madrid) the 3rd Edition of the National League of challenges in Cyberspace (NationalCyberleague), organized by the Civil Guard for the third year in a row.
The event was also attended by Iker Casillas, a former Spanish footballer, an authentic example of sacrifice, improvement and team play, who has been the godfather of this third edition. Iker Casillas wanted to thank the contribution that all the participants make to improve an aspect as important as Cybersecurity, "putting their knowledge in favor of the good and not on the dark side." He also wanted to point out that his intention is not to simply remain the godfather of this edition, but also to “collaborate directly with the Civil Guard through its accelerator – incubator, SPORTBOOST, to help the development of business projects that have been winners. ”.
Also present was Teresa Perales, Paralympic athlete and Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, who was godmother in the second edition and this year has received the Silver Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard.
This edition has been divided with a double competition, “Amateur” between young university students and professional training students and “Professional” between teams of national and international Security Forces and Bodies.
The winner of the “Amateur” competition has been the NetOn team made up of students from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Open University of Catalonia. The other two finalist teams have been Hackea2, made up of students from the University of Valladolid, and Sons of Txema, with students from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the University of Wales, the Rey Juan Carlos University and the University of Oviedo. And in the “Professional” competition he won the Joint Command of Cyberspace (MCCE). The Matrans / Moe Army and the Algerian People’s National Army have been ranked second and third, respectively.
III National League of challenges in Cyberspace (NationalCyberleague)
This edition, which began last September in a mixed mode (online and face-to-face), has established itself as a meeting point for all actors with responsibility in the field of cybersecurity, so that the necessary synergies can be created between them. that allow to have a safer cyberspace, that consolidate it as a new dimension of opportunities for the human and economic development of our society.
The objectives of this third edition, like the previous ones, have been:
- Dissemination of the cybersecurity culture and the institutional image of the Corps.
- Enhancement of the talent of young students (university and vocational training).
- Promotion of employability.
In addition to this, on this occasion the participation of Vocational Training students has been promoted, since these professionals represent a key element in the world of cybersecurity (a fundamental step within the professional career model of this sector).
In relation to employability, entrepreneurship has also been promoted, for which business projects presented by the participating teams will be supported to try to transform them into true startups (the Civil Guard's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship). For this, the finalist teams will have the possibility to present in the SportBoost incubator accelerator, by Iker Casillas, business projects of enterprises related to cybersecurity.
SportBoost is an accelerator and incubator for startups linked to the world of sports with the aim of turning them into leading companies in their sector. Its specialized program has all the resources for advice, networking, institutional relations and access to financing to lead entrepreneurial projects to success.
Background
During the last quarter of 2019, the first edition of the "National League of Challenges in Cyberspace" took place, taking place entirely in person, specifically, through a qualifying phase in 15 different venues (universities throughout the national territory) and one grand finale at the Civil Guard University Center (Aranjuez). The event brought together around 700 participants, of which 100 passed the qualifying phase and were able to reach the final. The first edition was very well received due to the novel nature of the project.
After this good initial experience, at the beginning of 2020 it was decided to launch the second edition, although due to the pandemic, the event was developed entirely online. Through a virtual world that allowed to recreate a real scenario for the different phases of the event (a qualifying, followed by a semifinal and final). Despite the difficult starting situation, it was possible to obtain results of participation and media impact similar to the first edition. Specifically, 650 participants came together, belonging to a total of 15 of the 17 Autonomous Communities.
In both editions there have been a series of key elements that have allowed the success of the project, among others we can highlight the figure of the "Godfather" (Rafael Nadal in the first edition and Teresa Perales in the second), referents of the CIBERLIGA values (effort, sacrifice and teamwork) and of the mentors (reputed experts in the field of cybersecurity who have collaborated by advising and mentoring the participants).
For more information, you can contact the Civil Guard Press Office at 915.146.010.
