ISBAT University team wins Centenary Bank cybersecurity hackathon

KAMPALA – A team from ISBAT University has won Centenary Bank’s first university cybersecurity hackathon, a month-long competition that drew 26 teams from Ugandan universities.

The team, ISBAT1, beat three other finalists to take first place. Tarus X from Victoria University came second, Fraud Hunters, also from Victoria University, came third, and Crack Team from Kyambogo University finished fourth.

Uthman Sseruwooza of ISBAT University won the award for best individual student.

The hackathon ran through October as part of the bank’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month activities. Students were tested on practical scenarios including application security, vulnerability analysis, secure software development and incident response.

The winning team received vouchers worth $1,500 for the eJPT certification, and the second-placed team received Hack The Box vouchers worth $75. All finalists received vouchers giving them a year’s free access to cybersecurity courses on the CodeRed platform.

Michael Opira, Executive Director Operations at Centenary Bank, said the competition was meant to get students to build security into technology before they enter the workforce.

“As we innovate, cybersecurity must be part of the process, not something we think about afterwards,” Opira said.

He said the bank’s business depended on customers trusting it with their money and information, and that it had invested millions of dollars in technology and security systems.

“However, we recognise that technology alone is not enough. The human aspect is equally important,” he said.

Opira said the bank continued to train staff and educate customers on safe digital practices.

Rodney Hood Adriko, Head of Information Security Assurance at Centenary Bank, said the competition had shown that Uganda had a promising pipeline of young cybersecurity professionals.

He said the bank planned to make the hackathon an annual event and to involve more universities and tertiary institutions.

“It also provides an opportunity to bridge the gap between industry and academia by bringing together the knowledge developed in universities and the practical challenges faced by industry,” Adriko said.

Centenary Bank says it serves more than 3.4 million customers through 81 branches, 214 ATMs and about 9,000 agents across the country.