On 4-6 October, Kaunas hosted the second cyber defence and security innovation hackathon "Fire Shield 2024", initiated by the Lithuanian Rifle Union (LRU). The hackathon was organised by Kaunas Science and Technology Park "Tech-Park Kaunas" and three investment funds. This initiative is under the patronage of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty (VU KNF) student team "Baubai" (Eng. “Bogy Men”) took second place in the cyber competition "Capture the Flag" (CTF) and confidently defended the position they won last year.
Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty (VU KNF) student team "Baubai" (Eng. “Bogy Men”; the team’s name last year was "Agresyvūs pacifistai", Eng. "Aggressive Pacifists") was brought together again by the second-year student Raimundas Mačiulis and his coursemates Matas Žukauskas, Adris Čypas and Paulius Turauskas. The team members were also the third-year student Rimvydas Čivilis and the fourth-year student Karolis Petniūnas. All of them are students of the VU KNF Bachelor's degree programme Information Systems and Cyber Security.
The cyber game CTF (Capture the Flag) focuses on finding 30 flags hidden in a specially designed virtual polygon within 24 hours. More than 150 players took part in the competition, which makes it two and a half times more than last year.
A motivating and supportive community
“The CTF game itself was really fun, as the LRU Lizdeika unit created high-quality and interesting tasks that educate in the field of cybersecurity. Additionally, the enthusiastic team members, with whom it was a pleasure to solve the tasks collaboratively, made the whole event even more enjoyable," says Raimundas Mačiulis, the second-year student of the VU KNF Bachelor's degree programme Information Systems and Cyber Security, who has joined the team for the competition for the second time.
“The tasks were neither too easy nor too hard, and most importantly, they reflected reality. Some tasks confirmed what we already knew, others required more consideration. The team is already familiar and experienced, so the team members are highly motivated. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We had a great time and kept the position we won last year in perfect harmony," Matas Žukauskas echoed his teammate.
“This is the second year we have participated in this competition, so it's great to see how we are becoming a small community. Last year's participants have become good colleagues, and we can compare the tasks and see how they have improved and become more difficult. The amazing team members and organisers also motivated me a lot during the competition. I am proud of my team and myself for the honourable second place and thank the organisers for a great time and the gifts," rejoices Adris Čypas.
The largest cyber defence and security innovation event in the Baltics
Like last year, the Cyber Defence and Security Innovation Hackathon "Fire Shield 2024" consisted of two parts: the development of technologies for land, sea and air security in a classical hackathon, and the CTF game, which strengthens cybersecurity skills.
The team from Estonia was the best performer in the “Capture the Flag" (CTF) virtual polygon and won the 1st place. The 2nd place was awarded to the students of Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty. The 3rd place went to Vilnius Tech (VGTU) students and professors. The member of Latvian National Guard Cyber Defence Unit won the individual competition.
The prize pool this year is 45,000 euros. The most promising teams have received tickets to startup pre-accelerators and the opportunity to attract 2 million euros investment.
Organisers: Lithuanian Rifle Union and Tech-Park Kaunas.
Partners: Ministry of Economy and Innovation, Innovation agency, „Coinvest Capital”, ILTE, „Try Hack Me”, „Baltic Sandbox Ventures”, „Vilnius TECH”
Based on information from the Lithuanian Rifle Union
Photo by Vidmantas Činauskas.