The national stage is planned for May, and those who excel in this stage can compete in a playoff to represent Romania at the European Cyber Security Championship - ECSC.

According to the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC), in the calendar of national competitions approved by the Ministry of Education this year, the Cyber Security Olympiad (OSC) is included for the first time, as a recognition of the major importance that cyber security education gains in Romania, in the context of rapid technological evolution, but also of the deficit of specialists in this field.

Approximately 400 students from all over the country arrived at the county centers in the morning and, for 6 hours (with a 30-minute break after the first hour), competed to qualify for the national stage.

The national phase will take place from May 22nd to 25th. The highest achievers in the National Cyber Security Olympiad 2024 might earn an opportunity to be considered for the final selection of the national team for the European Cyber Security Championship - ECSC24, scheduled to be held in Turin (Italy) from October 8th to 11th.

The selection process will occur during the second day of the national stage competition and will entail a practical applications test of increased complexity, incorporating an Attack & Defense exercise.

The top 30 competitors with the highest scores at the national stage, in descending order of scores obtained, regardless of the grade they participated in, can participate in the playoff. The top 15 competitors ranked in the OSC playoff will have the opportunity to represent Romania at the European Cyber Security Championship - ECSC, completing Romania's preliminary lineup.

Students ranked in the top positions in the overall ranking of the national stage will receive prizes or honorable mentions according to the provisions of the Framework Methodology for the Organization and Conduct of School Competitions.

What does the specific theme of the Cyber Security Olympiad entail

The national cyber security team (Team Romania) will consist of five juniors (up to 20 years old) and five seniors (21-25 years old), plus two reserves. The team composition will be established after participating in a training stage organized by the National Cyberint Center within the Romanian Intelligence Service, DNSC, ANSSI, together with teachers and experts from partners Orange and Bit Sentinel.

The subjects and methodology of the competition are developed and evaluated by the Central Commission of the Cyber Security Olympiad (CCOSC), consisting of representatives of the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC), the National Cyberint Center within the Romanian Intelligence Service, the National Association for Information Systems Security (ANSSI), as well as teachers and experts from private sector partners, Orange Romania and Bit Sentinel, with extensive experience in organizing cyber security competitions.

The specific theme for OSC includes exercises that integrate fundamental concepts of cybersecurity, as well as applied elements of cryptography, security of web, mobile or desktop applications, Open Source Intelligence techniques, analysis of electronic logs, network traffic, data captures, memory or hard disk, reverse engineering, configuration and security of operating systems and networks, programming and scripting.