The official opening ceremony of the “Cyber Summer School 2025,” organized by the Association of Cybersecurity Organisations of Azerbaijan (ACOA), took place on 21–26 July 2025 at the Bilgah Recreation Center of the State Security Service (SSS).
In his opening remarks, Mr. Panah Musayev, Chairman of the Board of ACOA, noted that this is already the fourth edition of the Summer School. He highlighted that the Cyber Summer School organized by ACOA in 2023 was awarded the “Global Security Award” by OIC-CERT, the official cybersecurity platform of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He also emphasized that participants from brotherly Türkiye joined this year’s training program.
Later, Major General Davud Rustamov, Head of the National Cybersecurity Center of the SSS, which supported the initiative to hold the Summer School, underlined that his center is ready to contribute to the training sessions with specialists experienced in the latest methods of countering cyber threats. He also wished success to the guests from Türkiye, stressing the high expectations placed on the Summer School participants.
The Rector of Baku Higher Oil School, Mr. Elmar Gasimov, noted that one of the main achievements of the Summer School is its contribution to shaping cybersecurity and digital technologies as future career paths for young people. He also emphasized the growing pool of qualified professionals in the field of information technology in Azerbaijan.
Mr. Mehdi Rasulov, winner of the CTF competition held during the Cyber Summer School in 2021, who earned the title of “cyber hero” and is currently studying Computer Science at Columbia University—one of the world’s top universities—shared his impressions of the cyber camp.
The Rector of the Academy of the State Security Service named after Heydar Aliyev, Major General Elshad Nasirov, stressed the importance of cybersecurity in the information age and underlined the necessity of mastering methods to counter hybrid threats.
The Rector of Azerbaijan Technical University, Mr. Vilayat Valiyev, and the Rector of Baku Engineering University, Mr. Yagub Piriyev, also wished the participants success and shared their recommendations.
The President of the Azerbaijan Internet Forum, Mr. Osman Gunduz, highlighted that the organization of Summer Schools plays an important role in developing a new generation of youth specialized in cybersecurity in Azerbaijan.
Following the official opening ceremony, company presentations commenced. Mr. Subhan Sharifov, Regional Manager of Crowdstrike, and Mr. Elshan Hasanov, Manager at Amazon Web Services and an active member of the Cyber Diaspora operating within ACOA, delivered presentations.
Mr. Rauf Jabbarov, Executive Director of ACOA, emphasized that the main objectives of the project are to train qualified professionals in cybersecurity, raise awareness among young people, and promote international cooperation and networking. He added that 130 participants from Azerbaijan and Türkiye have joined the Summer School this year, including 57 members of Cyber Clubs established at local universities under ACOA’s initiative.
It should be noted that the following training days will continue at Baku Higher Oil School. Throughout the Summer School, participants will engage in intensive daily training, hands-on exercises, meetings with experts, master classes, as well as a real-scenario-based cyber competition “Capture The Flag” (CTF). Trainings will be conducted in both Azerbaijani and English, with students divided into “Red Team” and “Blue Team” formats to work on different scenarios.
The program will also feature several side events, including the Cyber Education Forum, an outdoor meet-up with ACOA experts, and master classes by members of the Cyber Diaspora.
The main partners of the event are Caspel, Crowdstrike, CaspianTech, and Baku Higher Oil School. Sponsors include Techpro, MegaSec, ESET, Crocusoft, and Rabalon. The CTF competitions will be held with the support of YER Hosting as the CTF partner, while the educational contests are supported by Code Academy and MilliSec.
