Among the 15 contenders vying for the top spot in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa Cup of Kaspersky Lab’s CyberSecurity for the Next Generation 2014, four research projects designed by Filipino students made it to the finals.
An online security game, an Android device-based log-in system, an access control for personal health record systems and an open source-based cellular system, respectively, were all authored by Computer Science students from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
This year’s regional competition—attended by the company’s founder Eugene Kaspersky—was held from March 12-13 at the University of Korea in Seoul, South Korea.
Teammates Adelen Victoria Festin, Camille Salazar and Flor Marie Carmeli Sison submitted two qualified research papers.
One of their papers is about SecuriThief, an alternative tool to teach children online security in the form of a computer game using true-to-life simulations. “We believe that through gaming, children will be able to learn faster and in a more efficient way because of its fun factor and its personal approach to things,” Festin and her group said.
Their second paper introduced Communect, a low-cost, easy-to-deploy, alternative and secures open source-based (OpenBTS) communication system where mobile phone users can connect to make calls and send messages, particularly in areas that do not have access to conventional mobile networks or areas with damaged telecommunication systems.
Meanwhile, the group of Dan Antonio Reyes, John Smith Paraggua and Ray Torres presented a Binary Login using an Android Device, which they named BLADE System, an easy-to-deploy solution using a two-factor authentication system.
The fourth paper was solely authored by 26-year-old Rose Ann Sale-Zuniga. She proposed a usable, secure and dynamic design for a task-role-based access control for Personal Health Record (PHR) systems. A PHR is a health record that a patient owns and manages.
Through this competition, student researchers had the chance to present and defend their original research, take part in workshops, team building activities, and attend talks and panel discussions by top experts. By showcasing their projects and knowledge to key academic and industry experts, they open themselves to potential new and attractive career opportunities in IT security.
The students vied for cash prizes from USD 750 up to USD 1,500. An invitation with an all-expense paid trip and accommodation for the global round in Stockholm, Sweden in June plus a chance of winning more cash prizes awaits the winners in this round.
In Southeast Asia, only the Philippines and Malaysia made it to this year’s regional round. Malaysia has two qualified submissions.