Greek security experts at EchoThrust Solutions are once again pioneering. Their platform, among other things, is chosen to be used for the first hacking skills competition held by DU, the Dubai telecommunications provider.
The creators of the platform, based in Koropi, Attica, have a number of participations in similar competitions with excellent success to show. The Greek creators accurately simulate almost an entire city and invite participants to carry out cyberattacks in order to test the security infrastructure (countermeasures).
SecNews, in communication with the creators of the platform, will first broadcast the relevant audiovisual material of the competition, as well as photographs after the completion of the event that will take place tomorrow.
Echothrust Solutions created a "smart city" mock-up model from scratch, representing all the critical infrastructures vital to a smart city – including industrial automation control and telemetry systems (ICS & SCADA Systems).
The different functions of the model elements are controlled by the network of systems in which the participants compete, allowing them to immediately monitor the results of their actions. In addition, all gameplay will be displayed to both the players and the audience through real-time visuals.
Among the challenges, hackers will try to gain control of a train, the crossings, ventilation and lights of the railway network, infiltrate the airport control tower and the runway light signaling systems, suspend the operation of the city's aqueduct, power station, wind turbines, nuclear plant and construction crane.
The competition is a game designed to assess students’ knowledge and skills while also educating them on Cyber Security and ethical hacking. Working in teams of 3 to 5, the contestants will have to launch their attacks on vulnerable installations in the city. Each successful attack will be scored and the teams will earn points based on the systems they have successfully hacked. The team with the most points at the end of the game will receive a prize of AED 20,000 and all participants will be given certificates of participation.
EchoCTF is Echothrust's Capture The Flag platform. In Computer Security, Capture The Flag (CTF) refers to computer security competitions that allow participants to demonstrate their level of skill in system security practices.
EchoCTF gameplay is based on realistic scenarios that include findings that add or subtract points to a team.
About Echothrust Solutions: is a software research and development company with a focus on the development and implementation of specialized, innovative solutions covering a wide range of applications. Echothrust was founded in 2006 in Reading, UK and relocated to Greece in 2009. Over the years, the Echothrust team has developed a multitude of different projects, ranging from network security, artificial intelligence, computer systems management, firewalls to intrusion detection systems.
For more information, visit https://www.echothrust.com.
