AUS student team places second at Embedded Security Challenge

A team of students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) won second place at the Embedded Security Challenge during Cyber Security Awareness Week 2016, organized by NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).

The world's largest student-run cyber security event, Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW), founded 13 years ago by the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, features six competitions, an industry conference, workshops and an industry fair. This year the competition expanded to NYU Abu Dhabi and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where finalists from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States competed simultaneously in November 2016.

The AUS team competed against teams from universities in the Middle East which included King AbdulAziz University, Saudi Arabia; Princess Somaia University of Technology, Jordan; UAE University and NYUAD, UAE. The winning AUS students were Salsabeel Shapsough, Shams Shapsough, Mazin Alikarar and Aly ElHakim and the team was supervised by Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ali, Professor of Computer Engineering, and Dr. Fadi Aloul, Professor and Head oftheDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering.

According to Dr. Aloul, "These competitions are a great way for students to apply what they learn in class in a fun and practical method to solve real world challenges, whilst developing their teamwork, innovation and time management skills."

Every year the competition brings undergrad and graduate students together with academic and professional experts to discuss the tools and techniques used by attackers and defenders throughout the field, while students compete in a range of challenges designed to motivate, educate and showcase industry talent.