Hackers to compete at Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress 2023

The Hacking Village, run by Fira de Barcelona and Agència Catalana de Ciberseguretat, 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, says BCC. To achieve this, it will host lectures and a programme of activities aimed at programming experts.

On 1^st February, Opera is organising a Bug Bounty, a competition in which participants will have to find vulnerabilities in their products with a prize of up to €9,300. 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^st 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 BCC deem a fundamental part of this year's edition 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 cybersecurity solutions and, at the same time, organise workshops and activities to raise awareness of their new products and services.