On July 26, 2025, the closing ceremony of Cyber Summer School 2025, organized by the Association of Cybersecurity Organizations of Azerbaijan (ACOA), took place at Baku Higher Oil School. The event began with the screening of a video dedicated to the six days of intensive training.
In his opening speech, Panah Musayev, Chairman of ACOA, highlighted that participants were trained in modern methods of combating cyber threats and emphasized that the summer school concluded with remarkable results.
Speaking at the ceremony, Davud Rustamov, Head of the Cybersecurity Operations Center of the State Security Service, underlined that safeguarding national cybersecurity is closely associated with patriotism. He further noted that graduates of the summer school consistently gain admission to leading local and international universities each year.
A Letter of Appreciation was then presented to the National Cybersecurity Center for its support. The award was handed over by ACOA Chairman Panah Musayev.
Rector of Baku Higher Oil School, Elmar Gasimov, also addressed the audience, noting that throughout the six days, participants benefited from diverse and practical training sessions, gaining valuable knowledge in the field of cybersecurity. He expressed special gratitude to the trainers. A Letter of Appreciation was also presented to Baku Higher Oil School, delivered by Panah Musayev.
Following the speeches, Letters of Appreciation were presented to key partner companies, including Caspel, CrowdStrike, Caspian Tech, and media partner Patrul.az.
Next, acknowledgments were extended to sponsors. The awards were presented by ACOA’s Executive Director, Rauf Jabarov, to TechPro, Megasec, ESET, Crocusoft, Rabalon, Yer.az, Code Academy, B&B Security Alliance, MilliSec, and AIESEC Azerbaijan.
Subsequently, ACOA Secretary General, Fidan Ahmadova, was invited on stage to present certificates to the trainers. During the awarding ceremony for participants and volunteers, representatives of ACOA member companies — Rabalon, TechPro, Megasec, ESET, and Yer.az — joined the stage to honor them. Volunteers were also recognized in cooperation with the same partner companies. The ceremony continued with the awarding of the winners of the volleyball tournament.
In the Capture The Flag (CTF) competition, the third-place winners received their awards from Panah Musayev and a representative of B&B Security Alliance. The second-place winners were awarded by Rector Elmar Gasimov and a representative of Caspel. The first-place winners received their prizes from Davud Rustamov and a representative of Rabalon. The ceremony concluded with a group photo.
It should be noted that Cyber Summer School 2025, organized by ACOA, was held on July 21–26, 2025. The program brought together 130 participants from Azerbaijan and Türkiye, including 57 members of Cyber Clubs established at local universities through ACOA’s initiative.
Training sessions were hosted at Baku Higher Oil School. Throughout the week, participants engaged in daily intensive workshops, hands-on exercises, expert talks, master classes, and a real-scenario-based cyber competition titled Capture The Flag. The training was delivered in both Azerbaijani and English, with students divided into “Red Team” and “Blue Team” formats to work on different scenarios.
Side events of the summer school included the Cyber Education Forum and master classes led by members of the cyber diaspora.
The main partners of the event were Caspel, CrowdStrike, Caspian Tech, and Baku Higher Oil School. Sponsors included TechPro, Megasec, ESET, Crocusoft, and Rabalon. The CTF competitions were organized in partnership with Yer.az, while the educational activities were supported by Code Academy and MilliSec.
