Amman, November 27 (Petra) – The “SheHacks” competition, the first women’s cybersecurity competition in the Middle East, recently concluded. Organized by Green Circle, the competition aimed to support and encourage women interested in hacking and cybersecurity.

Arab University of Amman secured first place, earning a prize of $5,000. Meanwhile, the second-place tie was awarded to both Al-Zaytoonah University and Arab University of Amman, with each receiving $3,000. The third-place tie went to Al-Balqa Applied University and Princess Sumaya University, with each team awarded $2,000.

The competition was part of the Cyber Zero to Hero program, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Jordan Design and Development Bureau and Cyber Shield Academy, and sponsored by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and Orange Jordan.

Inspired by Capture the Flag competitions, participants solved various cybersecurity challenges designed to uncover hidden data known as “flags.”

“SheHacks” tested and enhanced participants’ skills in areas such as cryptography, reverse engineering, web application and server penetration testing, and binary exploitation.

The competition’s primary goals were to encourage and empower young women to pursue careers in cybersecurity, promote gender diversity in the field, improve problem-solving and technical skills, and create a network of young women in technology for ongoing support and collaboration. It also aimed to facilitate job opportunities and professional development.

The competition targeted women aged 17 to 30 with a genuine interest in learning about information security.

During the event, which was attended by Deputy Dutch Ambassador Pierre de Vries, Green Circle CEO Engineer Mohammad Al-Khudari said the competition aimed to motivate students from public and private universities to participate in a free contest that would enhance their cybersecurity and hacking skills. He noted that the initiative seeks to pave the way for participants to enter the job market.

Al-Khudari emphasized that this initiative brought great value to the 15 participating universities, with 500 students forming 54 teams. Of these, 14 teams advanced, and three secured top spots, winning a total of $10,000 in prizes. He commended the National Cybersecurity Center for its continued support and acknowledged the backing provided by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The initiative also included free training for participants before the competition, held in state-of-the-art laboratories. Al-Khudari confirmed that this annual event might expand regionally in the future, marking a pioneering Jordanian experience in cybersecurity hacking competitions.

He also highlighted another initiative, Cyber Start, targeting students aged 13 to 18 to help them understand modern technical disciplines and emerging technologies while raising awareness of potential risks. Al-Khudari explained that the company is working on developing content, systems, and training programs for this group to nurture future talent capable of supporting the company’s projects and services.

The competition progressed through several stages: registration, training and preparation, initial online challenges, and finally, the concluding stage.

–(Petra)
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