To give insights and experience of how MCC2022 and GCC 2023 were, the Computer System Security Club (CSSC) from UniKL has invited Hanan to do an online sharing session on July 29, 2023. Her sharing was intended to fill in the tanks of unknowns and worries, as well as her ‘adventure’ participating in both camps. She also mentioned during the session that her own questions and worries prior to participating in both camps were similar to the thoughts of applicants for the camp this year. Hence, she reminded participants not to worry about the unknowns and encouraged them to empower the cybersecurity scene amongst youth through Malaysian Cybersecurity Camp this year and Global Cybersecurity Camp!

On July 22, 2023, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) held their first-ever CTF competition, namely The Amazing CyberHunt, at their campus in Kampar, Perak. MCC crews and alumni did not miss their chance to participate in this CTF to represent their respective teams and universities. Surprisingly, the CTF was different from any other CTF that they have joined! It was held for only 3 hours and had both physical and online challenges that needed to be solved simultaneously. The crews and alumni once again proved to everyone why they are the best when their teams were crowned the 1st and 2nd runner-up places.

Damien, Kelvin and David from team POPO (Champion)

Jia Qi, Yen Wai and KS from team Darksid3rs (2nd runner-up)

Hanan from team roBl0x (2nd runner-up)

We would also like to congratulate Imran, Shafiq, and Amir who put their effort into participating in the event! We are truly proud to have alumni and crews who are actively showing their burning spirit in this field!

Thigendra was one of the final-year students who participated in the first edition of the Malaysia Cybersecurity Camp. In his quest to become an offensive security consultant, he was accepted to work as an Associate Security Consultant at a local cybersecurity company in Kuala Lumpur, right after he graduated. On the 14th of July 2023, he was invited by Asia Pacific University to represent his company to talk about the current trends in cybersecurity and pentest industry. The talk covered certification paths expected by employers as well as emerging tech in penetration testing and employment trends. We are happy when he contacted us and share his first contribution to the community. We believe there will be more upcoming sharing from our uprising star!

CYDES is a national event that serves as a powerful platform for showcasing expertise, solutions, and cutting-edge technologies aimed at combating present and future cyber threats. The 2nd edition of CYDES, which took place from July 10th to July 13th, 2023, added a new objective: to be a platform for reaching out to youth in cybersecurity and building a progressive future for them. The Malaysia Cybersecurity Camp (MCC) members were invited to participate in a 30-minute discussion on youth and cyber security. Five MCC alumni have shared their thoughts and opinions in a session titled "Youth in Cyber: Developing a Better Cybersecurity Community for Our Next Generation" intending to promote and ignite the spirit of learning cybersecurity in the hearts of youth for the sake of the future. They discussed the importance of improving cybersecurity education and encouraging cybersecurity learners, building a community of youth for the future generation, and their own experiences participating in both MCC2022: The First Edition and Global Cybersecurity Camp 2023 during the 30-minute session. NACSA's Acting Chief Executive, Pn Shariffah Rashidah, even sacrificed some of her time from an ongoing meeting to attend this session. It is even more fascinating that they prepared the session; they came up with the discussion topic, questions, and ideas themselves! Kudos to them!

A Capture the Flag (CTF) competition, Cyber Warzone, occurred during CYDES 2023 on July 10, 2023. While the participating teams represent various universities across Malaysia, most of the players representing these teams consist of MCC crews and alumni. The intensity of this game came to an end as the winners were announced at the end of the day. We are proud to share that our alumni Wan and Damien from the team The Excelsiors have won the 2nd runner-up, while Alvin and KS were part of the Team Cincai who were announced as the winners of the Cyber Warzone 2023! Team Cincai will also be representing Malaysia at the Cyber SEA Games 2023, held in Bangkok this year. Congratulations to MCC alumni and crews for showing their consistent enthusiasm by participating and winning the game. Shout out to Team Cincai and The Excelsiors for winning the game!

On the 12th of July, 2023, Kelvin took the opportunity to host a quick sharing session amongst his peers at Asia Pacific University (APU) entitled "How Hackers Undergo Reconnaissance". During the session, participants were equipped with insights and explanations into the methods that are used to gather necessary information, such as Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), phishing, and physical social engineering, before attackers dive into their target's network or system. Besides that, Kelvin also demonstrated several tools that are commonly employed during the reconnaissance phase objectively, providing visual insights into the toolkit and enhancing the ability to anticipate and defend against potential attacks. The session was believed to serve as a wake-up call for participants to proactively safeguard their digital assets. After all; "Privacy is like eating and breathing. It is one of life’s basic requirements." (Katherin Neville)