Kaspersky Lab calls on Pinoy students to join 2013 cybersecurity conference

MANILA, Philippines - Security software developer Kaspersky Lab is again calling on students from the Philippines to join the Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) Cup of the 2013 Kaspersky Lab Student Conference.

The APAC and MEA is part of the five regional rounds of the firm's global annual conference where students and experts discuss important issues about information technology security, Kaspersky said.

Moreover, the firm added that the Kaspersky Lab Student Conference serves as a venue for students, regarded as the next generation of experts, to share their knowledge and ideas related to IT technology.

"The best research papers in the APAC and MEA Cup will be chosen to be presented and compete with the rest of the other regional qualifiers (from North America, South America, Europe, Russia and Commonwealth Independent States) in the international round of the conference to be held at the Royal Holloway, University of London in the United Kingdom in June 2013," Kaspersky said.

It added that winners of the competition will win US$1000 in cash.

Topics for this year's conference include emerging threats for emerging platforms, securing cloud, virtual and big data infrastructure, future protection technologies, securing corporate infrastructure and security education.

Last year, a team from the University of the Philippines emerged as grand winners of the tilt, besting 13 other regional finalists all over the world. The team, composed of computer science majors Joshua Arvin Lat, Kevin Charles Atienza and Rod Xavier Bondoc presented a research paper titled “Secure Online USB Log-in System."

“I’m confident that the Philippines will again show its best during the event. I hope that young people also show more passion in safeguarding all that they value safe from digital harm,” Jimmy Fong, Kaspersky Lab’s Channel sales director for Southeast Asia said.

Registration for interested university and college students is ongoing, while submission of research papers is accepted until Feb. 11, 2013. Notifications for participation in the regional round will be sent by Feb. 18, 2013, Kaspersky said.

"Authors of the most innovative and carefully thought-out concepts on cybersecurity will be selected and invited to present his/her paper at the APAC and MEA regional finals to be held at the National University of Singapore from March 21 to 23, 2013," it added.