TWO teams from Taylor’s University College in Selangor claimed two major awards at the inaugural F-Secure National Inter-Varsity Security Tech Quiz Championship 2009.

Team SES and Team Bastion, which are made up of students from Taylor’s College, School of Computing, competed against 15 other groups from public and private higher institutions in the championship rounds.

Members of Team SES and Team Bastion battled through a two-day challenge, which tested their speed, accuracy and knowledge in security issues on the Internet.

Team SES and Team Bastion did pretty well at the recent F-Secure National Inter-Varsity Security Tech Quiz Championship 2009.

Team SES, comprising Bachelor of Computer Science students Ng Keng Yih, Stanley Foong and Wo Su Shyan, raced against time and successfully completed a set of 15 open-ended questions correctly. They secured third spot overall and won a smartphone each.

Keng Yih said he and his teammates were overjoyed to finish in the top three amid tough competition. “We’re glad to have participated in this competition, which has boosted our confidence, improved our understanding of cybersecurity issues and enhanced our analytical and critical thinking skills,” Keng Yih noted.

Team Bastion brought more cheers to the Taylor’s camp when it emerged as the Best Creative Team. Members Ivan She, Jimmy Lim and Ng Ek Wyn from the Bachelor of Computer Science programme claimed the award for their outstanding team name, logo and poster. They each won a MP4 player.

“The idea behind Bastion was derived one day during my Web Database Application Class. Bastion relates to a security feature commonly used in the computing field and it also means fortification. This was a perfect team name because it revolved around Internet security,” team leader Jimmy explained.

He added: “In designing the logo and poster, we wanted to illustrate a sturdy bastion – a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification. We incorporated our name along with an image of a watch tower to show strength and security.”

Taylor’s School of Computing Programme director Banumathy Subramaniam congratulated Team SES and Team Bastion for their achievements. “It was the first time some of them participated in a national-level competition, yet they managed to answer questions and stayed calm under pressure,” Banumathy said.

“I also want to thank the lecturers for their dedication in preparing students for this challenge and guiding them to success.” The F-Secure National Inter-Varsity Security Tech Quiz Championship 2009 was organised by F-Secure to promote cybersecurity awareness.

Some 56 teams from 17 colleges and universities around Malaysia participated.