NUS, SMU concludes 2020 InterUni hacking challenge

The three-week tournament offered cash prizes and academic credits.

The Inter-University (InterUni) Bug Bounty challenge was declared a success after a three-week tournament where participating student hackers look for software vulnerabilities or “bugs” in exchange for monetary rewards and academic credits.

The InterUni hacking challenge was jointly organized by National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU) in partnership with hacker powered cybersecurity expert HackerOne. NUS organized the first bug bounty challenge in 2019.

“Extending the participation to other universities was a natural progression of our aim to continue driving cybersecurity innovation within the local high education community," said Prof. Tommy Hor, chief information technology officer at NUS.

The InterUni hacking challenge was held from 12 August to 2 September with over 200 participating students from NUS and SMU testing a total of 18 critical systems and digital assets, three of which are mobile based.

A total of 33 valid vulnerabilities were identified and reported by participants, earning them a total US$13,700.