The global cybersecurity workforce gap is growing yearly, reaching 4 million professionals in 2023, according to the CyberSecurity Workforce Study by (ISC)². In addition to a major shortage of skilled staff, 92% of companies surveyed say they also face a lack of skills needed to address cybersecurity issues due to a lack of training, according to the same study.

To increase and improve cybersecurity skills worldwide, by providing a space for people to both learn and practice cybersecurity skills using real-world inspired challenges, we launched CyberEDU in 2020 and constantly improved the curricula on the platform to cater to beginners and pros alike.

One of the things we learned during these four years is that if we want to make a real change in the cybersecurity industry, an early start is more efficient. We’ve come to appreciate that nurturing novices is not only as crucial as training seasoned professionals but, in fact, holds an even more significant place in effecting lasting change. 

Guided by this philosophy, we’ve had our fair share of engagement in diverse initiatives centered around inspiring young talents to pursue the path of learning and excelling in cybersecurity. We either hosted, organized or contributed to events such as Brasov Cyber Arena, Electron, the Romanian Cybersecurity Challenge, the European Cybersecurity Challenge and more.

In 2024, we’re thrilled to announce the return of one of the longest-running events for young talents on our platform. UNbreakable Romania, now in its 7th edition, has opened registrations on CyberEDU!

And, in addition to the online competition stages of UNbreakable Romania that take place at a national level, CyberEDU will also host an international edition – UNbreakable International, where participation is encouraged among high school and university students from all over the world.

About UNbreakable Romania  

UNbreakable is the most complex education program for high school and university students in Romania, organised by Bit Sentinel and Orange Romania and hosted by our platform. With a mission to equip young cybersecurity enthusiasts with the most varied resources, both theoretical and practical, it aims to foster the development of skills essential for becoming proficient cybersecurity specialists. In addition to an intensive learning environment, the initiative also provides a competitive, testing virtual space that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Since its pilot edition in 2020, UNbreakable has flourished into an annual program, attracting approximately 4,000 young participants from numerous universities and hundreds of high schools across Romania.

CyberEDU & UNbreakable Romania 2024

Building upon the enthusiasm from previous participants, the 7th edition of UNbreakable Romania happening in 2024 promises to elevate the learning and competitive experience to unprecedented levels. 

As usual, UNbreakable will start off with a bootcamp (February 20 – March 21), where participants receive access to an extended educational archive of almost 200 challenges ready to be solved on CyberEDU.

The bootcamp concludes with an online individual competition on CyberEDU (March 22-24), where participants evaluate their technical skills and performance on an individual level.

A second online competition stage follows – the online team competition on CyberEDU (April 5-7). Here, participants form teams of three, collaborating to tackle a diverse range of cybersecurity challenges and striving to solve as many as possible.

In addition to previous years, UNbreakable Romania 2024 also launches a final round in the form of an onsite team competition that takes place in Brasov, from 19 to 21 April. Of course, the competition challenges are also hosted on CyberEDU. 

CyberEDU & UNbreakable International

But we couldn’t let all the fun happen in Romania, could we? 

We decided to extend the opportunity to play & compete to our global community – not just to spread the fun, but also the golden opportunity to hone cybersecurity skills far and wide. Therefore, the online competition stages of UNbreakable Romania will be accessible separately for our international audience in a first-time UNbreakable International!

High school and university students worldwide – and just about anyone who wants to join for fun – are all welcome at UNbreakable International, in:

• an individual competition on March 22-24
• a team competition on April 05-07

Given the widespread significance of cybersecurity on a global scale, it becomes imperative for us to take an active role to actively address the shortage of cybersecurity experts worldwide. This responsibility extends to making a tangible impact on the educational landscape within this field. 

We hope you enjoy UNbreakable, wherever you are!