Hackers have a prize at the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress 2023

The Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress (BCC), an international event focused on the field of cybersecurity that will take place from 31 January to 2 February at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre, will challenge hackers with a series of competitions that will take place in the Hacking Village space during the days of the event. Under the slogan ‘Security is the game’, the organisers have come up with different tests ranging from a Bug Bounty with a prize of more than 10,000 dollars (9,300 euros) to dealing with a cyber-attack.

The Hacking Village is one of the main attractions of the BCC, organised by Fira de Barcelona and the Agència Catalana de Ciberseguretat, as it is a space designed for experts in ethical hacking to practice their skills and share their knowledge of cybersecurity with the aim of making the risks of an increasingly digitalised society visible. To achieve this, it will host lectures and a programme of activities aimed at programming experts.

On 1 February, Opera has organised a Bug Bounty, a competition in which participants will have to find vulnerabilities in their products with a prize of up to 9,300 euros. On the same day, it is also offering ‘The City of Cyber Tales’, in which contestants’ knowledge of cybersecurity and the risks and challenges in the digital universe will be put to the test. Your connection is not private’ will be another Opera activity to try to erase the digital footprint left on the Internet.

Meanwhile, on 31 January, the company Exhale Global is organising a game to stop a cyber-attack on the imaginary theme park Trojan Horse Adventures, just before it opens to the public, in which hackers will put their cyber crisis management skills into practice.

Cyber Investor Days and prizes for startups
In addition to these tests, the Hacking Village has a programme of sessions, which are a fundamental part of this year’s edition of the BCC and in which the emphasis will be placed on security in the digital sphere as a fundamental premise for any company. Among others, Marc Rivero, an expert from Kaspersky, will explain how to deal with a ransomware attack without having to pay a ransom; or Jakob Ilg from CyberForum, who will analyse how in the field of Artificial Intelligence security is key for a massive deployment.

The Hacking Village offer is rounded off by the Cyber Investor Days, where the event offers startups specialising in cybersecurity the opportunity to present their initiatives to European investors. In addition, the two best startups, selected by a local jury, will participate in the European Cybersecurity STARTup Award 2023 of the European Cybersecurity Organisation (ECSO). ECSO and the Women4Cyber Foundation have created the Women4Cyber STARTup Award, which will recognise a startup founded by women or with at least 50% women employees.

In the exhibition area, the participating companies will showcase the most innovative cybersecurity solutions and, at the same time, organise workshops and activities to raise awareness of their new products and services.

Together with IOT and ISE
Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress, the meeting point for suppliers and industry experts at national and international level, will be held jointly with IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC), the largest international event on industrial transformation through disruptive technologies, in Hall 4 of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre. Both events organised by Fira de Barcelona will take place simultaneously with Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s most important trade fair in the audiovisual field, which will occupy the entire venue.