Global cybersecurity experts join Russian hackathon

Under the bright Moscow sunlight, the majestic Luzhniki Stadium, which famously hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and the final of the 2018 Fifa World Cup, opened its doors to tech experts for a high-profile international cybersecurity festival last month.

- Rituraj Borkakoty [e-mail]

Arenas such as the Luzhniki Stadium resemble a cauldron in the middle of a sporting slugfest. But during the three-day festival (May 22-24), one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues seemed like an exhibition centre where thousands of people arrived to get a glimpse of the latest advancements in the war on cyberattacks.

The irony was not lost on footballing connoisseurs as it was at the Luzhniki Stadium that the video referral technology was used for the first time in a Fifa World Cup when the Kylian Mbappe-inspired France were awarded a penalty during their 4-2 victory in the final against Croatia after a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) consultation by Argentinian on-field referee Nestor Pitana.

While technology has played a big role in neutralising human errors from referees, umpires and line judges in the sporting world, it can cripple human life when hackers penetrate computer systems.

Given that context, Positive Hack Days (PHD), the cybersecurity festival hosted by Positive Technologies, is a significant platform for a secure digital future.