DALLAS, Dec. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, today announced the winners of its global Capture the Flag (CTF) competition, an annual event that showcases some of the greatest cybersecurity talent in the world in a head-to-head battle.

The past year has led to an unprecedented level of corporate digital presence due to economic and social shifts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this shift comes a demand for increased cybersecurity, as many organizations around the world have migrated much of their workforce online and their IT infrastructure to hybrid cloud models.

The CTF was designed by Trend Micro researchers to exhibit real-world cybersecurity scenarios. Events like this serve as an important part of Trend Micro's approach to addressing the cybersecurity skills shortage by inspiring future talent and building a cybersecurity workforce dedicated to protecting a connected digital world.

"In a time where we can't be together in person, opportunities to unite under the common interest of guarding against cybercrime are increasingly important," said Mike Gibson, vice president of threat research for Trend Micro. "The excellent display of talent, competition, and comradery of this event bolsters Trend Micro's mission of making the world safe for securing digital information. In today's threat landscape, the success of any organization rests on its ability to remain agile while also achieving a high standard of security. With events like our Global CTF, it is our goal to train defenders to successfully navigate this landscape."

While the contest includes a virtual component every year in the online qualifier, which took place on October 3-4, this year a virtual final was held for the first time on December 19-20, 2020.

Teams from across the globe competed in challenges focused on reverse engineering, forensics/exploitation, open-source intelligence (OSINT), mobile, IoT, machine learning, and radio frequency (RF) systems. RF was included for the first time after a highly successful engagement with the cybersecurity community in separate Capture the Signal events over the past two years.

The placing teams are as follows:

First Place: Whitzard, China
Second Place: PwnThyBytes, Transnational Team
Third Place: CodeRed, Korea

The winning team received JPY1,000,000 (approximately $9,600 USD) and 15,000 Zero Day Initiative Rewards Program points per player. The first place team also receives an automatic qualifying spot at the 2021 finals. The second and third place teams received JPY300,000 and JPY200,000, (approximately $2,900 and $1,900 USD, respectively).

For more information on the event and winners, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/ctf.