CRL Cognitive Research Lab, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Hideto Tomabechi) will again sponsor the category of the high school hacking contest picoCTF, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, which ranks number one worldwide in the fields of cybersecurity and AI. Following last year’s great success, we will offer Japan-specific team awards for this year’s contest, picoCTF 2022, held in March 2022.
Cognitive Research Labs, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hideto Tomabechi) is proud to announce its continued support for the picoCTF 2022 cybersecurity contest, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, the world’s top-ranked university in cybersecurity and AI. Following the great success of last year’s event, CRL will again provide team awards for Japanese participants in the March 2022 contest.
In 2021, approximately 30 schools participated, including Tsukuba University High School, Kaisei Academy, Azabu Junior and Senior High School, Oin Junior and Senior High School, and Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Shibuya Junior and Senior High School.
With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, there is a growing societal need for the identification and development of cybersecurity talent. Students participating in picoCTF engage with challenges created by world-class hackers, allowing them to gain practical cybersecurity skills that have been proven in the field.
The contest, which runs from March 16 to 30, is open to a wide range of students—from those who have already learned programming and wish to test their skills, to those who are new to hacking techniques. Participants can compete individually or as part of a team from school clubs or programming classes.
By promoting this contest domestically, Cognitive Research Laboratories aims to increase the number and improve the skills of Japan’s next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Rising Cyber Threats Highlight the Importance of CTF Hacking Contests for Developing Advanced Security Talent
In recent years, cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, with military-level cyberterrorism, cybercrime targeting cryptocurrencies, and hacking of government institutions on the rise. Japan has also experienced cyber attacks potentially linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In this complex geopolitical landscape, enhancing national security and addressing the critical issue of economic security requires the urgent development of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals.
Amid these societal challenges, CTF (Capture-the-Flag) hacking contests have gained attention as vital tools for identifying and nurturing cybersecurity talent. CTF competitions are cybersecurity challenges where participants use computer science knowledge and skills to reverse-engineer, decrypt, and analyze networks to find hidden “flags” within a system. These contests are now globally recognized educational methods for learning both cyber defense and cyber offense techniques.
Carnegie Mellon University’s picoCTF: A Premier Contest for Aspiring Hackers
Carnegie Mellon University, ranked number one in the world for cybersecurity and AI by U.S. News & World Report, has been running the picoCTF hacking contest since 2013. Developed by the university’s CyLab Security and Privacy Institute, picoCTF is designed for middle and high school students. It incorporates gamification, allowing participants to engage with challenging tasks set by top-tier hackers in a fun, interactive way, resulting in high retention and effective learning.
Cognitive Research Laboratories to Sponsor Japanese Team Awards for picoCTF 2022
Cognitive Research Laboratories, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hideto Tomabechi) is proud to announce its ongoing sponsorship of picoCTF. For the 2022 contest in March, CRL will provide special team awards for Japanese participants, building on the success of last year’s event, which saw participation from around 30 schools, including Tsukuba University High School, Kaisei Academy, Azabu Junior and Senior High School, Oin Junior and Senior High School, and Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Shibuya Junior and Senior High School.
By extending the reach of this contest domestically, Cognitive Research Laboratories aims to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals among Japan’s younger generations.
CognitiveHack Japan 2022 Awards
- Team Awards: Top-scoring teams
- 1st Place: ¥100,000
- 2nd Place: ¥50,000
- 3rd Place: ¥30,000
- School Award: Highest combined score of registered teams from one school
- ¥50,000
- Female Team Award: Top-scoring team consisting solely of female participants
- ¥30,000
- Middle School Team Award: Top-scoring team consisting solely of middle school participants
- ¥30,000
For students who want to test their skills or learn from scratch, as well as teachers from schools, clubs, and programming classes, here’s how you can participate in the contest:
To participate in this contest, teams need to register on the special website “CognitiveHack Japan” and create an account on the official Carnegie Mellon University site “picoCTF-CMU Cybersecurity Competition” to complete the contest tasks.
Registration Process:
- Register a username on picoCTF: https://play.picoctf.org/login
- Register for picoCTF2022
- Register your team on CognitiveHack Japan via Google Form (the team representative should register all members): https://forms.gle/4AabdUd5BABYBzt27
- For the School Award, the team representative (student) should inform the faculty member who will complete the registration: https://forms.gle/4TcYcoBf2dE4q3cZ7
Eligibility:
- Participants must be 13 years or older and enrolled in a Japanese middle school, high school, or technical college (grades 1-3) as of March 2022. Students graduating this spring are also eligible.
- Teams can consist of 1-5 members and do not need to be from the same school.
- Participation is free.
- University students and professionals can participate but are not eligible for awards.
Competition Schedule:
CognitiveHack Japan Registration Start: February 21, 2022 (JST)
picoCTF Registration Start: February 15, 2022 (EST) (registration possible until the end of the competition period)
picoCTF/CognitiveHack Japan Competition Period: March 16-30, 2022 (EST)
Stay updated by following our Twitter account: @japanCTF
Company Overview: Cognitive Research Labs, Inc.
Cognitive Research Labs, Inc. was founded in 1988 when terms like “cognitive science” and “cognitive computing” were largely unknown. It is one of the few foundational research institutes in Japan, dedicated to pioneering true foundational research and developing platforms that will shape society over the next 50 years.
CEO Hideto Tomabechi studied at Yale University Graduate School as a Fulbright scholar, where he learned from Roger Schank, the father of artificial intelligence. Afterward, he transferred to the Carnegie Mellon University Graduate School, where he obtained his Ph.D. in computational linguistics, becoming the fourth person in the US and the first Japanese to earn this degree. He has served as a fellow at CyLab, Carnegie Mellon University, and as a visiting professor at George Mason University’s C4I and Cyber Research Institute, among other prestigious roles.
Corporate Page: https://www.crl.co.jp/
Wantedly Page: https://www.wantedly.com/companies/crl
We are also recruiting engineers. If you are interested, please contact us: https://www.crl.co.jp/recruit
Contact Information: Cognitive Research Labs, Inc. (CRL) https://www.crl.co.jp/
Person in Charge: Shiota
Email: info@crl.co.jp