From October 31 till– November 5, 162 teams competed in the tournament’s online qualifying round, where they solved tasks in programming, reverse engineering, and other fields of practice-oriented cybersecurity. 38 of the best passed to the on-site finals.

Participants could choose one of three tracks: Algorithmic Programming, Product Programming, and Programming of Information Security Systems. The team from ITMO triumphed in the latter category, beating 9 other teams from various Russian regions. ITMO’s team comprised representatives (a graduate, an associate professor, and several students) of the Faculty of Secure Information Technologies: Artem Pavlov, Alexander Menshchikov, Artem Nasonov, Georgy Gennadiev, Nikita Chelnokov, German Ritter, and Dmitry Sibirtsev.

The teams were presented with eight tasks that required them, among other things, to write or improve a piece of code or develop a new software solution. The team from ITMO solved seven out of eight tasks, garnering 761 points – 113 more than the team from Tatarstan and 117 more than the team from Moscow. Between them, the three winners split over 1 million rubles.

“For several years now, our faculty has remained a leader in training top-tier infosec specialists. We have also contributed to the creation of a professional community that extends far beyond the walls of ITMO. For instance, we organize national and international CTF contests and run a CTF community that welcomes school and university students, as well as professionals. This comprehensive approach is the foundation of our victories and achievements,” says Danil Zakoldaev, the dean of ITMO’s Faculty of Secure Information Technologies.