1st Place at Uni vs Threats Timisoara, Juniors & 2nd place at all ages competition

Learning from the Best: Reflections on Uni vs. Threats 26 Finals

The second edition of Uni vs. Threats 26, hosted by the West University of Timișoara (Faculty of Informatics), has just come to a close, and I’m still processing everything that happened over the last 48 hours. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by 16 elite teams from South Korea, Finland, Jordan, Algeria, Albania, and Romania.

Competing at this level—where half the finalists were university students and the other half high schoolers—was both humbling and motivating.
A Masterclass in Cybersecurity

The level of competition was truly world-class. I want to start by congratulating the South Korean team, who took 1st place in the overall standings. Watching their efficiency and technical depth was an inspiration for all of us. They set a high bar, and they absolutely deserved the win.

As for my team, I am incredibly proud of what we achieved. We managed to secure:

1st Place in the Junior Category (High School)

2nd Place Overall (across all age groups and university teams)

It’s an honor to see our hard work pay off, especially when competing against such experienced international and university-level opponents.
The Power of the Community

Beyond the scoreboard, what made this event special was the atmosphere. To my friends and fellow competitors in The WiWiWi +, Dacia Team, and SelfwashRo—you guys are exceptional. I know how much effort you’ve put into this, and seeing how we all encourage and push each other makes me realize that we’re building something much bigger than just a ranking.

Even though some of us are hundreds of kilometers apart, that shared passion for tech keeps us close.
To the Minds Behind the Challenges

A competition is only as good as its organizers, and the team at UVT outdid themselves. The challenges were clever, frustrating in the best way possible, and technically rigorous.

A massive thank you to the organizing team for making this happen:

Ramon Mateas, Raul Radulescu, Paul Valase, Elias Bota, Alexandru Negru, Andra Bimbirica, Tania Țitiriga, Mark Dragotă, Alin Bosnea, Cristian Cira, Răzvan Ciobanu, Cătalin Chiriță, and Jasmine Afrem.

Thank you for the opportunity, the support, and for pushing the limits of what a student-led competition can be. I’m heading home with a trophy, but more importantly, with a lot of new lessons learned.

Onwards to the next challenge!

1st place – The WiWiWi × 🍁
Andrei Popescu Filimon
Codruț Sereșan
Horia Frîncu
Matei Ferșeta

2nd place – SelfWashRo
Robert Harabagiu
Tudor Prisecaru
Victor Trandafir
Vai Popa

3rd place – Dacia Team
Filip Neo Anghel
Vlad Hărdălău
Patrick Șuster
Alex Docea