Cyber Challenge 2021

The Swedish Defence University’s (SEDU) and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) invites you to a policy-oriented cyber security competition.

What is this competition about?

The Swedish Defence University and MSB are organizing a cybersecurity competition with the aim to engage students in security policy and emergency preparedness-related information- and cybersecurity incidents on a national level.

The competition will urge the teams to analyze a fictional scenario concerning a changed security environment in our region. Due to increased instability, various actors have deployed cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. This has in turn affected the political leadership, government agencies, financial institutions and media outlets. Our democratic system, the national security and by extension Sweden’s sovereignty could be under threat.

The team’s policy responses will include perspectives of risk- and incident management, strategic communication, policy development, and impact assessment in order to strengthen their understanding of cyber-related policy issues and problems.

Who is the competition for?

The competition is intended for those studying at an institution of higher education. Students apply in teams of four (4). Each team must recruit a coach who is a faculty member at the team’s own institution for higher education. For the team to be successful, it is recommended that students have different academic backgrounds and build teams over institutional boundaries.

Students from different universities are not allowed to form a team as each team must be comprised of students from the same university.

Previous years the three teams given the best scores by the competition judges were offered 40 000 SEK. The sum would cover expenses related to travel, board and lodging in connection to participation in the international competition Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Geneva, Switzerland. Due to the ongoing pandemic, it is still uncertain whether the competition in Geneva will take place physically or not. If not, the three teams with the best score will be offered an alternative price that will be announced later on.

Registration and information

Please register by sending the following information by e-mail to carolina.dalmo@fhs.se no later than 27 November 2020:

• First and last name of the four (4) team members
• University
• Team name
• Coach

Cyber Challenge is free of charge.

There are a limited number of spaces of a maximum of 16 teams. SEDU reserves the right to choose participating teams if the number of participating teams exceed 16 registered teams.

The teams will receive more information concerning competition instructions, deadlines and the digital environment after registration.