KUALA LUMPUR, 14 November 2026 — Malaysian cybersecurity company NETSEC Sdn. Bhd. has joined global cybersecurity training provider OffSec in supporting the International Battle of Hackers (IBOH) 2026, held at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) in Kuala Lumpur.

Organised by APU’s Forensic and Security Research Center Student Section (FSEC-SS), the competition brought together aspiring cybersecurity professionals to test their technical capabilities through practical challenges based on real-world security scenarios.

NETSEC Executive Director and Founder, Azman Mohd Azizi, attended the event alongside university representatives and industry stakeholders. Both NETSEC and OffSec received Tokens of Appreciation in recognition of their contributions to APU’s cybersecurity initiatives and student development programmes.

Two Competition Formats Put Cybersecurity Skills to the Test

IBOH 2026 featured two main competition formats designed to assess participants’ technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities and practical cybersecurity skills.

The Jeopardy Capture the Flag (CTF) format challenged participants across multiple cybersecurity categories, including vulnerability analysis, digital investigation and exploitation techniques.

Meanwhile, the Attack & Defense CTF placed teams in a live competitive environment where they had to protect their own running services, identify vulnerabilities and respond to security threats while testing opposing teams’ infrastructure.

The formats provided participants with practical exposure to offensive and defensive cybersecurity techniques in a controlled environment.

NETSEC Builds on Strategic Partnership with APU

NETSEC’s involvement in IBOH 2026 builds on its broader collaboration with APU, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in May 2026 and the establishment of the OffSec University Chapter.

The partnership aims to strengthen the connection between academic education and industry requirements through internationally recognised offensive security training and certification pathways.

It also provides students with opportunities to develop practical skills in ethical hacking, vulnerability assessment and adversarial security testing.

These competencies are increasingly relevant to cybersecurity roles in Security Operations Centres (SOCs), penetration testing teams and national cyber defence operations.

Industry-Academia Collaboration Addresses Cybersecurity Skills Gap

The collaboration comes amid growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals as organisations across financial services, critical infrastructure, government and digital industries face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

While academic qualifications provide essential theoretical foundations, practical competitions such as IBOH offer students opportunities to apply their knowledge in simulated operational environments.

NETSEC’s participation also reflects its commitment to the principle of “Prevention Above Recovery”, emphasising proactive security practices, early vulnerability identification and stronger organisational cyber resilience.

By exposing students to the techniques used to identify and exploit security weaknesses, the initiative aims to help develop a workforce better equipped to anticipate threats and strengthen digital infrastructure.

Strengthening Malaysia’s Cybersecurity Workforce

With Malaysia placing greater emphasis on cybersecurity preparedness, particularly across Critical National Information Infrastructure (NCII) sectors, collaboration between universities, cybersecurity companies and international training providers is becoming increasingly important.

Through the combined involvement of NETSEC, OffSec and APU, IBOH 2026 highlights the role of industry-supported student initiatives in developing practical cybersecurity capabilities.

The initiative also reinforces the importance of building a stronger pipeline of ethical hackers, security researchers and cybersecurity professionals to support Malaysia’s evolving digital economy.