ITI Cybersecurity Summer Camp For School Students Organized by CyberTalents Kids: 2024 Program Recap!

In a world rife with incidents like cyberbullying and blackmail, it is essential to do our utmost to protect our children in the digital realm. That’s why CyberTalents Kids and ITI teamed up to create a collaborative cybersecurity camp focused on cybersecurity training for school students. This special program taught kids vital cybersecurity concepts and how to safeguard themselves online. In this blog, we will explore all about the program and how it benefited the kids!

What is CyberTalents Kids?

CyberTalents Kids is a gamified cybersecurity training platform focusing on kids from 11 to 16 years old across the globe where they can learn, practice, compete, and get ranked.

After seven years of success, CyberTalents Kids is now leading the way in building the next generation of cybersecurity experts and discovering young talents at an early age. Our journey and impact have been significant. Over 280 CTFs, 35 training events, 80K talents, and a presence in 65+ countries—CyberTalents Kids is building a global community of young cybersecurity enthusiasts.

Through our programs, we aim to empower and inspire the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, ensuring they are equipped with the skills needed to protect and secure the digital future.

What is ITI?

The Information Technology Institute (ITI) was established back in 1993 and became one of the MCIT’s affiliates in 2005. ITI programs served thousands of Egyptian youth from different Egyptian governorates, who graduated from different academic backgrounds, thanks to the rich programs that built on their academic experience leveraging their future employment opportunities. These programs include development, content design, game development, Geographic Information Systems, media and animation, cloud, security,and data analytics, among others.

ITI Cybersecurity Summer Camp For School Students - Organized by CyberTalents Kids

To achieve our objective of nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and enhancing the skills of young talents, CyberTalents, in partnership with ITI, launched a cybersecurity summer camp for students aged 15 to 18. This initiative aimed to develop their technical skills.

The camp featured various cybersecurity tracks designed to equip participants with the essential knowledge and foundation needed to embark on their journey in the cybersecurity field.

What Did the Students Learn?

Participants benefited from a highly skilled instructional team with extensive experience in the field, ensuring they received exceptional guidance and support. The camp placed a strong emphasis on real-world experience, enabling attendees to collaborate with peers on practical Capture The Flag (CTF) exercises. Through hands-on application of concepts, they gained the confidence and expertise necessary to effectively navigate the cybersecurity landscape. Here are the topics they covered during the camp:

- Linux Essentials

- Web Security

- OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) Essentials

- Digital Forensics Essentials

What did the kids gain by Joining ITI Summer Camp?

• Participants acquired essential security skills, which helped them stay safe online and protect their families.
• They discovered and developed their hidden technical talents, gaining the confidence to pursue their preferred cybersecurity tracks with foundational knowledge.
• They built connections with like-minded colleagues, encouraging each other to learn and grow together in a supportive environment.

CTF Competition

After the camp, an exciting Capture The Flag (CTF) competition took place among the attending kids. CTF competitions are a type of information security contest where teams face a variety of problems, known as challenges. Each challenge involves exploiting a security vulnerability or completing a security-related task. Successfully accomplishing a challenge grants access to higher levels or reveals an answer, referred to as the "Flag," which can then be exchanged for points in a scoring system.

These competitions simulate real-world scenarios for penetration testers, hackers, bug hunters, forensic examiners, security analysts, and others in controlled environments featuring vulnerable applications, services, or networks. Skilled developers create these environments, hiding the secret "Flag" while participants analyze the logic behind the vulnerabilities and exploit them. 

Meet our 3 top winning teams! Our champions demonstrated incredible spirit and skill while competing onsite at the ITI New Capital branch. We believe these talented winners are the future of cybersecurity. Wishing them the best of luck in all their future endeavors! 

Previous Camps Highlights and Kids’s Opinions

"What I liked the most about the training is learning new things in the fields of programming and information security to protect my devices. Also, I get to know colleagues who have the same interests as me."

Ahmed Marzouk (13 Years Old)

"I learned a lot of things in the training about the websites and how to secure them, and about OSINT, Digital Forensics, and Google commands that I now use in any search I do in general."

Malak Mahmoud (15 Years Old)

"The training was well organized and it helped me to learn more about information security and choose the field that best fits me to determine if I would like to be specialized in it in the future."

Mariam Mohamed (16 Years Old)

What’s Next?

It's not the end of the story! CyberTalents Kids continues to produce cybersecurity camps for kids, nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity experts. Through these camps, young participants keep building their skills, gaining valuable knowledge, and connecting with peers who share their passion for cybersecurity. CyberTalents Kids remains dedicated to empowering young minds with the tools and confidence they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly! Stay tuned for more programs to come!