EMERGING THREAT RESEARCH QUARTER (ETRQ)
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Established in collaboration with CyberXCenter, focusing on cybersecurity challenges at the intersection of the digital and physical worlds.
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ETRQ brings together cybersecurity practitioners, researchers and enthusiasts to explore emerging threats in these environments, exchange knowledge and collectively advance cybersecurity capabilities.
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Through community-led research, cybersecurity challenges and the development of practical tools, the Quarter aims to build both individual and collective capabilities, while fostering a community that actively contributes to understanding and addressing emerging security challenges.
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Beyond technical research and capability development, the Quarter also seeks to contribute to broader industry discourse and thought leadership, sharing research, perspectives and lessons through participation in international cybersecurity conferences and engagements.
EMERGING THREAT RESEARCH
Needle in a Slice
The data
~500 GB
PCAP and Logs
Environment
Simulated 5G
Prize
S$1,000
Deadline
15 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT
The Challenge
A capture from a simulated 5G environment, carrying a large and diverse volume of traffic. Somewhere within it are indicators of potentially malicious activity. Your task is to determine how seemingly independent events connect to reveal a larger security story.
An unusual login may appear harmless. A brief connection to an external host may seem insignificant. A configuration change may look like routine administration. But viewed together, across systems, users, time and network activity, may reveal a completely different picture.
Your Mission
You will be given a capture taken from a simulated 5G environment carrying a large and diverse volume of traffic. Somewhere within it are indicators of potentially malicious activity.
Your task: Discover → Correlate → Contextualise → Identify
You will need to determine how seemingly independent events can be connected to reveal a larger security story. For example, an unusual login may appear harmless. A brief connection to an external host may seem insignificant. A configuration change may look like routine administration. But when these events are viewed together, across systems, users, time and network activity, they may reveal a completely different picture.
Read the full brief
The complete challenge document covers the background, the task, submission requirements, judging criteria and the full rules.