Self-learning, participation in the cybersecurity community and access to localised knowledge resources have empowered newcomers to jump into the cybersecurity industry, say members of Rebooster, the winning team of the "Thailand Cyber Top Talent 2023" competition.
"To increase cybersecurity skills, one needs to keep self-learning to pick up new techniques and new tools, mostly in the online channel and in the English language," said Pol Cdt Sudrit Vongsuwan, one of the three members of the team.
The competition, which was co-hosted by the National Cyber Security Agency and Huawei Technologies (Thailand), was open to local students and the general public. It aims to promote cybersecurity knowledge, address online threats and serve as a platform for individuals to sharpen their practical skills, enhancing their expertise in this vital field.
The first round on Sept 16 saw an overwhelming response, with 2,323 participants from across the country forming 831 competing teams. These teams covered all three categories: high school, university and the general public.
The final showdown involving 30 teams took place on Sept 30. It was presided over by Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangthong.
Pol Cdt Sudrit, 22, said he was inspired to join the cybersecurity field by the Royal Police Cadet Academy's Cyber Club where senior members share their experience and knowledge with other members. They also participate in many cybersecurity contests.
The Cyber Club has its own platform to simulate hacking practice to prompt members to keep learning new skills. These activities inspire police officers to hone their cybersecurity skills, which is essential to keep up with criminals running online gambling dens and other online scams and fraud, he said.
"Our team was selected to represent the Cyber Club at this contest. The more contests we join, the more experience we gain," said Pol Cdt Sudrit, adding that this is the second time the team has won the Thailand Cyber Top Talent contest.
The contest inspired team members to seek more knowledge related to assignments such as hacking firewalls or mobile applications.
Participating in the content also widened his opportunity to connect with those who share an interest in this field.
"Holding such events builds connections among local cybsercurity communities can lead to sharing experiences and valuable insights as well as hands-on experience," said Pol Cdt Sudrit.
Moreover, the team also participated in the Cyber SEA Game in which they had a chance to meet cybersecurity personnel from many countries such as Vietnam and Singapore. Both Vietnam and Singapore have large and strong cybersecurity communities.
He said Thailand's cybersecurity communities are still small and lack technical resources in the Thai language.
Interesting and fun
Pol Cdt Tassanai Manit, 21, another member of the team, added that seniors in the Cyber Club mentor and teach junior members new cybersecurity techniques and trigger their interest in learning more, inspiring them to jump into the cybersecurity industry.
"Cybersecurity is an area involving problem solving, the use of logic and the use of tools which is much more fun," said Pol Cdt Tassanai.
He said the Thailand Cyber Top Talent contest also offers basic training as a guideline for completing assignments. The event also gathers IT experts, white hats (ethical hackers), coding experts, security vendors and potential employers.
"The contest raises cybersecurity awareness and sparks interest in the cybersecurity field among IT users. Over the past 2-3 years, more people are participating in the cybersecurity arena," he said.
Pol Cdt Wannakorn Nunpradit, 22, another member of the team who is interested in forensics, said Thailand needs to have more forensic workers to seek and trace destroyed evidence and tackle cybercrimes like call centre scams.
The forensic field is a niche that supports police investigation work.
"We need to encourage youth to join this field to deal with the rapid increase in cyber attacks and raise cybersecurity awareness among the general public to prevent online scams. We need more local content to support more people to learn this field," he said.
The weakest links
Pol Cdt Sudrit said by participating in the Thailand Cyber Top Talent contest, he gained new knowledge and experience from visiting Huawei's headquarters on Rama IX Road. He was impressed with its cybersecurity that was designed for Internet of Things devices.
"It would be great if Huawei or other cybersecurity vendors assisted small local firms or state agencies that were attacked by hackers to assess their vulnerabilities and back-up their files," he said.
Pol Cdt Tassanai added that the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) helps cybersecuity experts with basic tasks and increases accuracy when scanning for network vulnerabilities but AI does not offer advanced techniques to users.
Pol Cdt Sudrit noted that hacking is a double-edged sword. "By choosing to help people, you can be a white hat hacker, reduce victimisation and chase the bad guys. Continuously learning and improving yourself with professional certification will ensure a successful career," he said.
