Winners of the Secur’IT Cup – APAC edition earn the “People’s Choice Award” in the global competition

The winners of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional Secur’IT Cup ’22 held in November last year also won the “People’s Choice Award” in the global round of the competition held on 14 December.

A team of five students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) emerged as the overall winners of the regional hackathon, with their project aimed at helping households better manage their financial communication.

Moreover, based on the evaluation of those who watched the online live streaming of the global hackathon, “Owo” was the best project, receiving the “People’s Choice Award.”

Dubbed Team “Owo,” their family-focused centralized notification app for banks – AUTCA – provides a verified communication channel between banks and consumers, thereby reducing the number of successful phishing scams while increasing security awareness among users. Streamlining of financial communication through the app allows family members to track possible fraud.

In light of their regional triumph, the team shared prior to the global competition: "This was our first hackathon together, and we had initially joined to learn and gain experience. Thanks to our collaboration, the open-ended task that allowed room for creativity, and the guidance from our mentor, Matthias Yeo, our experience has been enriching and fulfilling. We will diligently improve our prototype for the global round, and are very excited to learn from the other teams and see their projects.”

From left: Liew Min Hui, Marcus Chao, Ivorine, Kelly Cheong, Vannara Lim