Kaspersky Lab is calling on innovative university students and young professionals to enter their international cyber-security contest, the Talent Lab competition.
According to the software security firm, Talent Lab is aimed at solving cyber security challenges, with competitors expected to use their technical knowledge to resolve applied research dilemmas, and get professional coaching while gaining in-depth practical knowledge. University students and young professionals aged 18-30 years from all countries can participate in the competition.
The technical judging criteria includes practical tasks in areas such as anti-malware research, cyber security solutions development, mobile security, cyber physical systems, IOT and kids' online security awareness.
Ryan Naraine, head of Kaspersky Lab's Global Research and Analysis Team in North America, says security has always been the most interesting aspect of computer science.
"Routes into this profession are often very difficult and many of our top researchers have no formal security education, but got here mainly because they were driven by their curiosity. With this contest, we want to spark the curiosity of as many young people as possible, and show how many different ways there are to get into the cyber security industry. We want to demonstrate that security is fascinating - because the world needs more highly skilled people in IT security," he explains.
The competition will identify three winners, he adds. The winner of the 'top talent' prize will receive a $10 000 grant for further education; the 'security talent' winner will be invited to the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit taking place in St. Maarten, near Puerto Rico. The 'creativity talent' winner will get the chance to participate at the Cannes Lions 2017 with an academy pass and travel tickets covered by Kaspersky Lab.
Natalya Obelets, deputy head of Educational Initiatives at Kaspersky Lab, says in order to enter, the entrant must be a university student or a young professional who is passionate about cyber security issues.
"There are two categories, namely technical stream or non-technical stream that entrants can choose from. They are free to choose any topic from the list in each stream that is of interest or inspires them. The list can be viewed at: https://academy.kaspersky.com/talentlab/.
"Based on their pick, they are presented with an abstract, the statement of the problem, requirements or technical guidelines for submissions and supplementary materials," she adds.
The top 50 most successful participants, she continues, will be entered into the final, which will take place in Prague in the Czech Republic in February 2017, when they will have the opportunity to present their projects and compete for the main prizes.
Online submissions are now open at academy.kaspersky.com/talentlab for applicants from all countries and entries will remain open until 15 November 2016.
With the initiative, Kaspersky Lab is continuing its efforts to educate: the company has a dedicated the Kaspersky Academy department, which runs a series of projects that support young talent in IT security.
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