Cybersecurity Intelligence Alliance

🎉 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗮! 🎉

You know that one person who is always active, full of energy, and somehow everywhere at once? That’s her!

Today we’re celebrating 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿, our 𝗖𝗦𝗜𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁. She’s the one who keeps things going, checks on everyone, and makes sure nothing gets left behind.

You bring so much life into the org. From your energy to how approachable you are, people really feel it. Even when things get busy, you still find time to support everyone and keep everything running.

Thank you for always being there, for the reminders, the effort, and for believing in us during stressful times.

For today, take a break, even just for a little while. Enjoy your day and let us celebrate you the way you deserve.

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗮! 🎂🎊

From cracking codes to capturing flags, 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚 has claimed the crown at the 𝐉𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐏 𝐐𝐂 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠 (𝐂𝐓𝐅) 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔! 🏆💻

With a total score of 12,223 points, Francisco Olpindo IV, Raji Dizon, and Juan Carlos Palma rose above 16 competing teams, proving that skill, focus, and teamwork make a winning combination. Their performance in this high-pressure competition shows what students can achieve when preparation meets passion.

Behind this success are their mentors, Dr. Marlon Tayag and Sir Jovencio Elica, whose guidance and support helped shape the team into confident and capable competitors ready to face any challenge.

Congratulations, 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚!

𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗨𝗽 | 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲

Phishing remains the most common way for attackers to bypass university security. By sending fake emails or links that look official, hackers hope you will "trust" them enough to hand over your credentials. In a Zero Trust environment, we remove that trust and replace it with constant verification.

If you receive an urgent request for your password, a suspicious login alert, or an MFA prompt you didn't trigger, you must act immediately. Here is how to apply a Zero Trust mindset to phishing threats:

𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 – Treat every unsolicited email, text, or link as a potential phishing attempt. Don't "trust" the sender’s name; verify the actual email address and destination URL first.

𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗠𝗙𝗔) – MFA is the ultimate Zero Trust tool. Even if a phishing attack successfully steals your password, this second layer of verification stops the attacker in their tracks.

𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 – If you accidentally clicked a suspicious link or entered your details on an unfamiliar page, change your passwords right away and log out of all active sessions to cut off access.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 – Reporting a phishing attempt helps the university security team block the threat for everyone else. Use the "Report Phish" button or contact support services immediately.

Building a secure university culture starts with a simple rule: Don’t just click, verify.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

Caption and Layout by: Rairolf Rabang

𝗖𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 | 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

Alongside the conference, students took part in the 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴 (𝗖𝗧𝗙) 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, offering a hands-on and gamified learning experience that tested both technical knowledge and problem-solving skills.

The 𝗖𝗖𝗡𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴 tested participants on core networking concepts, including routing, switching, and network troubleshooting. After an intense round of challenges, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲’𝘀 𝗙𝗖𝗣𝗖 𝗖𝗶𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄 emerged as 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻, followed by 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 – 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀’ 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 as𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽, and 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 – 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀’ 𝗳𝟬𝘅𝗯𝘆𝘁𝗲 as 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽.

Meanwhile, the 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴 focused on real-world cybersecurity scenarios such as vulnerability assessment and attack analysis.𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀’ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 claimed the 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 title, with 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 – 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀’𝘀 𝗳𝟬𝘅𝗯𝘆𝘁𝗲 securing 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽, and 𝗠𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲’𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 , placing as 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽.

Caption by: Calvin Ochoco
Photos by: Chrishien Villena and Rairolf Rabang

𝗖𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 | 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

On January 16, 2026, the Cisco Regional Student Congress brought together students, educators, and industry professionals to discuss the future of networking and cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence.

The conference featured keynote addresses by 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰, Business Development Manager of Cisco Networking Academy, and 𝗠𝘀. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗢’𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗮, Cisco APJ Regional Manager for Corporate Affairs, who emphasized the growing importance of AI-driven skills in today’s digital workforce.

A series of technical talks followed, led by industry experts including 𝗠𝗿. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗦. 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇 of Dauntless Strategies and Solutions on AI-powered network security, 𝗠𝘀. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗣. 𝗝𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼 of Nokia Solutions and Networks on prompt engineering for automation, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼 𝗩𝗮𝘇𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘇 of Ardent Networks Inc. on unmanned aerial systems, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗞𝗶𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮 of Cisco on AI-assisted smart infrastructure, 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗬𝘂𝗺𝘂𝗹 of Reboot Inc. on upskilling for the AI-driven workforce, and 𝗠𝗿. 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗟𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗗. 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮 of Cisco on ethical and sustainable AI networks.

The sessions highlighted how emerging technologies are reshaping networking, cybersecurity, and industry practices, while encouraging students to adapt, upskill, and innovate in an AI-driven era.

Caption by: Calvin Ochoco
Photos by: Chrishien Villena and Rairolf Rabang