Ege University Students Achieve Success in the “Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) 2026” Program

Within the scope of the Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) 2026 Program, coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and aimed at training qualified cybersecurity professionals across Türkiye, students from Ege University Cybersecurity Vocational School have achieved a significant success.

The Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) 2026 Program was launched simultaneously in all 81 provinces of Türkiye and successfully completed an intensive online task-based qualification process. As part of the program, candidates who successfully passed the online CTF (Capture The Flag)-style preliminary examination earned the right to participate in face-to-face training sessions.

Throughout the program, participants completed tasks requiring competencies in various fields such as cybersecurity, network security, and Linux systems via the Hackviser platform. In the nationwide online CTF semi-final, students competed to solve challenges in OSINT, cryptography, and reverse engineering. Under time pressure, complex cyber scenarios were analyzed and resolved, testing the participants’ technical proficiency and problem-solving skills.

Among the students who actively took part in all stages of the program, first-year student Muhammed Emir Sakın and second-year student Görkem Bellur successfully passed the demanding selection process and ranked among the top 40 in their province. We congratulate our students on this outstanding achievement and take great pride in their success. We also extend our congratulations to all students who participated in the program and advanced to the final stages through their dedication and effort.

The Future Cybersecurity Experts Are Being Trained

We congratulate all students of Ege University Cybersecurity Vocational School for their achievements in this prestigious program and wish them continued success in their cybersecurity career journeys.

What Is Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland)?

In Türkiye, Development Agencies were established to ensure the efficient and effective use of resources, reduce development disparities within and between regions, strengthen cooperation among the public sector, private sector, and civil society organizations, empower local governments, and activate regional potential.

Operating under the Ministry of Industry and Technology, these agencies function across 26 regions, providing financial and technical support and fostering collaboration. The Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) Program is the brand name of the education curriculum, program development, capacity building, awareness, and motivation activities developed by the Western Black Sea Development Agency. Since 2019, the Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) Program has been implemented annually.

What Does the Program Include?

The Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) 2026 Program was launched simultaneously in all 81 provinces and has completed a 30-day online training phase. On Friday, December 26, 2025, an online CTF (Capture The Flag)-style preliminary exam was held. The top 40 successful students earned the right to participate in face-to-face training sessions. Candidates who pass the preliminary stage are invited to attend in-person training programs organized in their respective provinces.

These training sessions cover topics such as cyber attack and defense techniques, web security, encryption methods, cyber incident analysis, and ethical hacking (White Hat Hacker) principles. The sessions are conducted in a hands-on and practical manner by expert instructors in the field.

Following the face-to-face training, participants receive a two-day CTF preparation program. This training focuses on the logic of CTF competitions, techniques for solving attack scenarios, password cracking, data hiding, and digital forensics. Through this process, participants are prepared for real-world cyber competitions.

Successful participants from each province then compete in an inter-provincial online CTF semi-final, where real cyber attack and defense scenarios are solved, teamwork skills are evaluated, and the highest-scoring teams advance to the CTF Final.

The most exciting stage of the program, the CTF Final, brings together finalists selected from across Türkiye. In the final, participants solve complex cyber scenarios under time pressure, testing their analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The most successful teams earn the title of “Siber Vatan (Cyber Homeland) 2026 Champion Team.”