The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) and Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co, Ltd have come together to organise the "Thailand Cyber Top Talent 2023" -- a groundbreaking cybersecurity competition open to local students and the general public.
Participants have the opportunity to win cash prizes totalling up to 521,000 baht. The competition aims to foster knowledge in the area of cybersecurity, addressing online threats, and to serve as a platform for individuals to enhance their practical skills, ultimately boosting their proficiency in this critical domain.
The winners of this competition will represent Thailand in the upcoming Cyber SEA Games. The first round of the competition, held on Sept 16, witnessed 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 public. The final showdown -- where 30 finalist teams competed for the prestigious title -- took place on Saturday at the Centara Grand Central Plaza Ladprao. It was presided over by Minister of Digital Economy and Society Prasert Chantararuangthong.
He said: "Cybersecurity is very critical in our connected world. Online threats have been steadily increasing in severity and can affect both the public and private sectors on a global scale.
"The stakes are even higher when public infrastructure, such as national waterworks, electricity systems or financial institutions, become targets, as the consequences can be far-reaching. With advanced technology, incidents involving compromised online data and various scams have become more prevalent among the Thai population.
"I see the increased number of participants in this year's competition as a good sign. It shows that we have plenty of resources to work towards the improvements of our national cybersecurity and bring it to the global standard.''
AVM Amorn Chomchoey, secretary-general of the National Cyber Security Agency said: "We have observed a shortage of IT talent worldwide, making it a top priority for the NCSA to nurture expertise in this field and elevate our national cybersecurity standards.
"We are committed to enhancing public awareness of online threats and and are actively collaborating with esteemed global partners [...] to organise public events to foster knowledge.''