In a stellar display of Filipino cybersecurity expertise, Team Peenoise from the Philippines secured 3rd place in the highly competitive SPIRITCYBER-24 IoT/OT Hackathon held during the Singapore International Cyber Week 2024 (Govware). The event, which focused on identifying vulnerabilities in smart city deployments, drew 36 teams from multiple countries, with only 7 advancing to the finals after rigorous remote qualifying rounds.
Team Peenoise not only placed 3rd but also earned substantial rewards, demonstrating their deep skills in exploiting key vulnerabilities such as Remote Code Execution, XSS, and Modbus attacks on critical IoT/OT systems. Their strong performance resulted in a total prize haul of over $12,550, including the $2,000 third-place bonus.
The competition featured three challenging bug bounty categories, testing contestants on advanced cybersecurity practices in smart city environments. The hackathon, hosted by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, saw Team Peenoise excel among elite international competitors.
The top three teams, SeeSeeTV, Salted Egg Chicken, and Peenoise, walked away with impressive bonus prizes of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000, respectively, for their outstanding performances.
The SPIRITCYBER-24 hackathon focused on “Cybersecure Urban Living” and invited cybersecurity professionals to demonstrate their talents in defending IoT and OT devices. The competition culminated in a three-day final round in Singapore, where top teams showcased their exploits on real Smart Nation devices.
Team Peenoise’s success is a testament to the rising prominence of Filipino cybersecurity professionals on the global stage. As one of only seven teams to reach the finals, they exemplified the Philippines’ growing strength in this critical field. Looking forward, the team hopes to return for next year’s challenge, eager to build on their accomplishments and continue representing the Philippines on the international cybersecurity front.
Maraming salamat to Peenoise: Jay Turla, Japz Divino and Jerold Camacho for their remarkable achievement!