Information Security is something that isn't local to a specific demographic, breaches and compromises is a problem we face globally - and the island of Malta is no different. Let state that I've been to Malta on a number of occasions, and it is one of the most beautiful and wonderful places on Earth. TrustedSec recently participated in the first ever hack-a-thon / capture the flag (CTF) held by the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) located in Malta. The security expo provided both seasoned and inexperienced professionals the ability to test their skills in a simulated hack-a-thon. These environments test the skills of individuals and help train in a simulated real-world example. In order to have an appropriate defense, it is paramount to understand the offensive and how they attack. This hack-a-thon was the first of it’s kind in Malta, and we are so pleased and humbled to be apart of it working with MITA. The challenges ranged from hacking into simulated websites, busting into high security systems, and most importantly, the knowledge and working with individuals to help promote and teach ethical methods for understanding offensive hacking capabilities. Additionally there were seminars and workshops aimed at both offense and defense to help teach cutting edge security techniques to skilled professionals. Some of the events included tutorials on lock picking and how to bypass locks as well as social engineering and understanding human behavior. The entire event was a major success with a large turnout and interest within Malta. It was an amazing experience to meet new faces, pass out signed copies of our books, and provide prizes to some of the top contestants that demonstrated a solid understanding of offensive capabilities. We are already excited and planning the second event to make it even better with MITA. This event wasn’t just for extremely technical and experienced individuals; our topics focus on how to protect individuals online and for general home users as well. Security should be of interest as it can truly impact your day-to-day lives, and something you have the ability to control. Our goal is to spread awareness of the types of threats bad hackers can pose on any country or business regardless of size or revenue. The sophistication from the bad folks are continuing to grow and it’s difficult for organizations to stay ahead of the types of attacks we continuously see in the wild. Organizations must be proactive about defending their networks, and most importantly continue to build security to stay ahead of the types of threats are released on almost a daily basis. Our drive in INFOSEC has to be continually working with organizations spreading information around security and promoting a better way for us to move forward. It was truly an honor and pleasure to assist MITA with this event and something we plan on continuing in our close partnership with MITA and Malta’s government entities. A special thanks to the wonderful people at MITA for making it possible, to all the participants who competed, to the folks who wanted to learn, and to Scott White and Alex Hamerstone for participating and developing the CTF. This blog was written by David Kennedy - CEO of TrustedSec