Press Release: KazHACKathon event hosted in Astana as part of Cyber Awareness Month activities
Participating teams encouraged to develop innovative solutions for cyber challenges in Kazakhstan
Astana, Kazakhstan, October 11, 2022 – Last week, as part of October’s Cybersecurity Awareness month, participants from different universities took part in a 24-hour hackathon event, KazHACKathon: Kazakhstan on the Frontlines of Cybersecurity, in Astana.
The event, organized by the U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Center for Analysis and Investigation of Cyber Attacks (TSARKA) and Cambridge Global Advisors (CGA), supported ongoing efforts to educate the next generation of Kazakhstanis on cybersecurity and to improve their digital literacy, bolstering the country’s ability to combat cybersecurity threats and navigate online risks.
Students and amateur hackers from across Astana were invited to participate in the hackathon, and after a thorough vetting process, 12 teams of over 45 participants were selected for the competition. Participants were tasked with developing the technical solutions to help protect Kazahstanis’ personal data on the internet and enhance the cyber resilience of Kazakhstan’s critical infrastructure. After 24 hours of competition, organizers recognized the Unknown Impact team as the winners of KazHACKathon, awarding them a 500,000 tenge prize for their submission addressing the need to increase Kazahkstanis’ cybersecurity literacy. NU Cybersec won second place and was awarded 300,000 tenge for their solution, which aimed to encourage Kazakhstanis to adopt multi-factor authentication to increase their cybersecurity. Finally, AITurbo won third place and 200,000 lenge for their proposed solution to convince senior decision makers to increase the cyber resilience of Kazakhstan’s critical infrastructure.
“Cyber security month is important because it helps us focus on the need to safeguard our data - the lives we live increasingly online - against theft and loss.,” said Myra Emata-Stokes, Acting Regional Deputy Mission Director, USAID Central Asia. “Digital technology is transforming how people worldwide access information, goods, and services, and it has the power to spur economic growth, improve development outcomes, and help people live more free and prosperous lives.”
For more information on KazHACKathon, visit https://kazhackathon.kz/en.
USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and USAID’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia
About Cambridge Global Advisors (CGA)
CGA is a bipartisan consulting firm with experience at the global, national, state, and local levels. Their mission is to assist their clients in the development and implementation of their programs, practices, and policies. They work with government, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies from around the world. For more information visit https://www.cambridgeglobal.com/.
About the Center for Analysis and Investigation of Cyberattacks (TSARKA)
TSARKA is one of the leading organizations in the field of information security in Central Asia. They provide a wide range of services aimed at both evaluating information security (including audits, penetration testing, and analysis of banking security systems, among others) and ensuring cyberspace protection. Visit https://cybersec.kz/en to learn more.