One Byte at a Time

Founded in 1984, the Cyprus Computer Society has today evolved into a benchmark for the island’s IT world. Today, the non-profit organisation represents Cyprus in the European Cyber Security Challenge, has its fingers in several EU-funded projects, ranging from cybersecurity using augmented reality to drones, and works towards building the digital skills of the island’s youth.

The Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) is a scientific, professional, independent and not-for-profit organisation dedicated to developing, upgrading and promoting the IT sector in Cyprus. CCS has been instrumental in enhancing digital transformation and the extensive use of ICT technologies – this was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly impacted business and society. CCS has a crucial role in linking academia with industry, promoting digital literacy, professional skills, education, training and research. As the primary professional body for ICT professionals in Cyprus, CCS engages in a wide range of activities.

Cyprus’ Participation in the European Cyber Security Challenge

Since 2016, CCS has represented Cyprus in the European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC) with the first team participating in 2017. Notably, the Cyprus team secured 6th position in 2021. The ECSC, organized by ENISA (the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity), gathers young talent from across Europe to compete in a comprehensive cybersecurity event. This competition serves as a recruitment platform, enabling companies to find talented individuals and providing young talents with opportunities to network with professionals, companies and organisations.

The ECSC’s National Team is selected through the Cyprus Cyber Security Challenge (CCSC), an annual event where participants solve cybersecurity challenges in a CTF (Capture the Flag) format. These challenges cover several areas, including Buffer Overflow Exploitation, Web Application Hacking, Forensic Investigations, Steganography, Cryptography, Reverse Engineering, Open Source Intelligence and Hardware Hacking.

In May 2024, the Cyprus Cyber Security Challenge saw the participation of over 100 individuals. The national team, coached by professional volunteer mentors from the CYberMouflons hacking community, will compete in this year’s ECSC in Italy in October. This participation is made possible by the dedication of the contestants, mentors, the CCSC Advisory Board, several sponsors and the Cyprus Computer Society. CCSC 2024 operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, Sport & Youth, and the Digital Security Authority through the Office of the Commissioner of Communications and the Cyprus Police.

CCS Youth Activities

With the aim of promoting digital skills development at a young age and to empower young people, CCS, in cooperation with other stakeholders, organises various activities, competitions and events addressed to students of all ages. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Sport & Youth, CCS organises the annual Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics, Bebras Challenge Cyprus, Robotex Cyprus, WRO Cyprus, First Lego League Cyprus and Coding Our Future workshops. The winners of these events represent Cyprus in international competitions, often achieving top positions.

CCS European Funded Projects

CCS is involved as a partner in several projects funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. These include:

CybARverse, which aims to create educational material on cybersecurity using augmented reality.

Femme Forward, which empowers women to gain the skills to start a career in technology or to launch a startup business.

Digital Skills Wallet, which aims to develop an ecosystem/platform to acquire and assess digital skills using micro-credentials.

Drones STEAM, to support Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers and students in an effort to introduce drone technology into teaching and learning.

CODEDU, to create a cutting-edge gamified e-Learning platform.

Digital Futures, to educate young people in cybersecurity, digital literacy and storytelling, media education, entrepreneurship, social and creative economy.

For more information on all these projects, visit https://ccs.org.cy/en/page/projects/

Membership Registration

Graduates in computer science/computer engineering, professionals in the field, and students can register with the Cyprus Computer Society. Register online at https://ccs.org.cy/en/

By Toumazis Toumazi, Project Manager of the Cyprus Cyber Security Challenge (CCSC).

(This article first appeared in the July issue of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it)