The Cyber Peace Foundation has partnered with the Australian Government’s eSafety commissioner for organizing the Global CyberPeace Challenge (GCC). The challenge has also received the support of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. The GCC is a competition that encourages innovators from around the world to promote peace in cyberspace by solving crucial techno-social issues. The inaugural edition of the contest was organised in 2017. This virtual event features workshops, speakers, and competitions culminating on Safer Internet Day (February 9, 2021), when the winners will be announced and prizes worth up to $30,000 will be distributed.
The objective of the challenges is to identify new cyber talent and to inspire the development of innovative solutions to critical real-world problems. This year, the contest is divided into three tracks: Cyber Policy & Strategy Challenge, Peace-a-Thon: The Innovation Challenge, and Capture the Flag (CTF – IT & OT). Global CyberPeace Challenge will convene some of the world’s leading policy makers, Diplomats, CISOs, CXOs, Innovators, Students, Startups and investors to explore how Cyberspace can be used for good.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Australian eSafety Commissioner, UN Agencies like UNGCNI, UNICEF and UNESCO – New Delhi Cluster Office, FIRST, Tech Accord, Cyberdome Kerala Police, MALTEGO, Infosec Girls, HYSEA, YourStory, IETE, Indiana University – Ostrom Workshop, NLIU- Bhopal, POLCYB, Kaspersky, ICMEC, NCMEC, TAC NGO Africa, Palo Alto Networks, The Hacking Lab, SANS-ICSNetwars, VJTI, KJ Somaiya University, Autobot Infosec, Cyber Security Challenge UK and Buffalo Soldiers will be supporting and promoting the global competition across their digital Channels.
Julie Inman-Grant, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, said, “I firmly believe that global cyber issues have never been more critical. As we know, the online world has no borders. So, it is important that we work together with organizations, industry, and government, both locally and internationally, to drive this proactive change and prevent harm. Now, more than ever, we need young minds from around the globe, collaborating on finding creative solutions to combating child sexual exploitation, cyber bullying, image-based abuse, and technology facilitated abuse. This is why we were delighted to partner with the Cyber Peace Foundation on its Global Cyber Peace Challenge 2.0.”
“The Global CyberPeace Challenge coincides with lockdowns worldwide due to COVID-19, which has caused many to move their daily activities online. This change has uncovered several challenges at the national and international levels,” Vineet Kumar, Founder and President of the CyberPeace Foundation said. “The Global CyberPeace Challenge aims to help solve some of the most urgent cyber issues through collective resilience and collaboration. Overall, we hope to help make cyberspace accessible and inclusive, and look forward to recognizing and rewarding innovative solutions.”
Such solutions are also the need of the hour, considering the mounting numbers of cyber-attacks in multiple sectors. Between October 1 and November 25, CPF recorded nearly 80 lakh attacks on the healthcare sector based ‘Threat Intelligence Sensors’ network specifically simulated in India. The GCC, by bringing talent to light, will also promote the discovery of ingenious ways to combat these malicious attacks, and this, in turn, will strengthen the country’s cybersecurity.
