Student Research Club „White Hats" represented by: Michał Bernacki, Brunon Blok, Adrian Dyl, and Jakub Rau took first place in the national-level "Capture The Flag" competition. During the competition, students from scientific and technical universities tackled issues related to cybersecurity. The competition attracted fourteen teams from all over Poland. Congratulations!

As reported by the organiser of „Capture The Flag" – participants of the competition had the opportunity to solve complex tasks related to analysing cyber threats and defending against them. The task of each team was to find the hidden "flag" or provide the correct answer to the given question.

– The tasks included topics such as attacking web applications, software reverse engineering, and issues in the field of forensic computing computer science – says Michał Bernacki from the „White Hats" Student Research Club, member of the winning team.

The participants also had the opportunity to compete in sports events and at a virtual shooting range. According to the organiser, this type of training allows students to develop technical skills, as well as to learn teamwork and how to make quick decisions under time pressure – which is essential in the face of real threats.

White Hats off

A total of fourteen teams from all over Poland took part in the competition. The winning team from Wrocław University of Science and Technology included: Michał Bernacki, Brunon Blok, Adrian Dyl and Jakub Rau from our Faculty. The winners study two fields – Cybersecurity and applied computer science.

– This victory is our significant achievement, demonstrating that the „White Hats" Research Club is one of the leading research clubs focusing on cybersecurity in Poland – notes Michał Bernacki.

Four of the winners belong to the "White Hats" Research Club from our Faculty, and one studies under the supervision of Dr. Wojciech Wodo from the Department of Fundamentals of Computer Science.

– 1st place in this competition shows that we have very talented students who are really interested in the field of cybersecurity. They also independently enhance their qualifications outside of classes and as part of the "White Hats" Club. In effect, they were able to build an elite team that outperformed the competition,” compliments the supervisor.

The "White Hats" Research Club was launched in 2018. Together, we explore aspects of cybersecurity that go significantly beyond the study programme – explain its members. We aim not only to increase awareness about staying safe online but also to acquire specific skills that are in demand in the IT security job market – they add. The club organises its own tournament "CTF-Break the Syntax".

Capture the Flag

The nationwide Capture The Flag competition took place on 3 March 2025 at the Polish Army Conference Centre in Warsaw. It was organised by the Department of Cybersecurity of the Ministry of National Defence in collaboration with the Expert Cybersecurity Training Centre.

Our students were joined on the podium by students from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and from the Silesian University of Technology. The competition crowned the Akademia_CYBER.MIL project.

The project's website states that its aim is to promote the image of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and the organisational units of the Ministry of National Defence, as well as to make students interested in the broadly understood field of cybersecurity and IT, including encouraging them to consider a future with the Cyberspace Defence Forces.