Team Cobra from VSU-DCST secures Top 10 in national cybersecurity competition

Visayas State University (VSU) continues to prove its excellence in the field of computing as Team Cobra from the Department of Computer Science and Technology (DCST) landed in the Top 10 nationwide during the Trend University Capture the Flag (uCTF) 2025 Preliminary Round, held fully online on August 22, 2025.

From a field of 199 participating teams across the country, VSU’s Team Cobra earned a score of 285 points and successfully completed the challenge in 15 minutes and 26 seconds, only 11 seconds away from clinching the top spot, which went to Team PENGENIUS of Mindanao State University-General Santos City. 

Another VSU contingent, Team Pythons, mentored by Mr. Jomari Joseph Barrera, a faculty member from the Faculty of Computing (FOC), also delivered a strong showing, finishing at the 119th spot with a score of 205 points.

This year’s competition is particularly intense, as only the Top 5 teams will advance to the grand finals of the uCTF 2025, set to take place live during DECODE 2025 at EDSA Shangri-La, Manila, on September 9.

Training future defenders of the digital space

uCTF is a national cybersecurity competition exclusively designed for college and university students to test their skills in cryptography, reverse engineering, web exploitation, and other real-world cybersecurity challenges. 

Competitors work together to capture “flags” hidden in simulated vulnerable systems, developing problem-solving skills, teamwork, and hands-on experience in a cyber-attack environment.

Organized under Trend Micro’s Campus Connect program, the competition underscores the growing demand for industry-ready cybersecurity professionals who will safeguard the digital future of the country.

This latest milestone also follows another major win by VSU Bachelor of Science in Computer Science students, when Team CS Code from DCST earned second place at the Byte Forward Hackathon–Visayas Leg, a regional tech competition held last July 24–25 at the Leyte Convention Center in Palo, Leyte, as part of the 34th Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC). 

For the student-contestants, this victory came as a pleasant surprise.

“We weren’t really expecting to land at the Top 10 of the uCTF Competition because cybersecurity problems are not something within our scope of studies,” shared Gabriel Y. Mosquera, a third-year BSCS student. 

“But because of our coaches and the whole faculty of DCST, who encouraged us to join, we proved that VSU students can compete despite this fact.”

Meanwhile, Jamir Oasis M. Andrade highlighted the role of the DCST’s culture of support:

“The culture of healthy competitiveness in the DCST, the all-out support from our seniors, tireless motivation from our coach, Sir Rodney Maniego, Jr., and the whole Department’s effort really served as our fuel to success.”

The rest of the team, Martin Benedict Ybas (BSCS-2), VJ Mabansag (BSCS-3), and Jake Compendio (BSCS-3), echoed the same gratitude for the encouragement and training they received from the DCST community.

Although #ProudViscans of Team Cobra narrowly missed advancing to the finals, their Top 10 finish among nearly 200 teams nationwide stands as a significant milestone for VSU and Eastern Visayas. 

It not only brings pride to the university but also contributes to the national agenda of preparing more young cybersecurity professionals in the fight against rising digital threats.

This article is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

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