NESA officially announces the dates of the third annual UAE Cyber Quest Competition

Abu Dhabi, 20 April 2016: The National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) has announced today that the 3rd edition of the UAE Cyber Quest Competition is set to take place 1 -3 May 2016. The UAE Cyber Quest is an interactive educational contest that aims to discover outstanding talents in the field of cyber security among UAE students, who are aged between 12 - 18 years old. The competition is part of NESA’s efforts to foster students' skills and enhance their awareness about the importance of cyber security.

The National Electronic Security Authority is committed to organizing the Cyber Quest Contest every year in order to contribute to the development of the next generation’s skills, in accordance with the UAE national efforts to foster local talent who are capable of facing and overcoming cyber security challenges in the future.

“The contest is designed to enrich and enhance students’ perception about cyber security, as well as inspire them and fuel their passion towards computer science. Additionally, the contest helps in raising awareness about the importance of safeguarding against threats found in the digital domain. Moreover, the UAE Cyber Quest comes in line with the UAE 2021 vision that aims at nurturing a generation of Emirati leaders, who are capable of guiding the UAE’s efforts towards building a knowledge-based economy,” said NESA spokesperson.

The preparations of the UAE Cyber Quest started with a roadshow during the first semester of the academic year and 512 students were trained on subjects related to cyber security. Then, the training round kicked off during the students’ winter break with the aim of introducing them to the various aspects of cyber security. NESA then selected a number of outstanding students to join the online challenges round which includes different stages and levels of difficulty. After passing the second round phase, the 60 top students were nominated to enter the dry run, which will be held for two days in the last week of April. During this time, students receive the necessary training and skills to be able to participate in the final contest in May.

This year NESA has improved and expanded the education and training skills provided for students through organizing more than twelve practical training activities on the sidelines of the main competition.

These activities were carefully designed taking into consideration the huge developments taking place in the global cyber security industry. The competition agenda includes various training activities related to fighting automobile cyber-attacks, online treasure hunts, devices counterfeit detection, computing circuits, mathematics and cryptography, forensics, programming, wireless communication, and social engineering.

During Days Two and Three of the UAE Cyber Quest final competition, NESA will conduct three trial competitions on each day for the visiting students. These activities are designed to offer the young guests an opportunity to experience the challenge experienced at the competition for a period of 30 minutes. Through these activities, NESA aims to encourage visiting children to participate in next year’s edition of the UAE’s Cyber Quest.