- 0800222777
- cert@ucc.co.ug
- Colville Street, Communications House
Events
2025
3rd CYBER STARS COMPETITION - 4th November 2025
The CyberStars2025 Competition, launched on September 26, 2025, has been an exciting journey aimed at promoting cybersecurity skills among university students across Uganda. After a month of intensive training and mentorship, the competition progressed to the Semi-Finals conducted virtually, setting the stage for the highly anticipated National Finals.
The Road to the Finals
Organized by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) through UgCERT, Cyber Stars 2025 is one of UCC’s flagship initiatives designed to strengthen Uganda’s cybersecurity capacity and nurture young local talent. The program targets university students pursuing IT and cybersecurity-related courses, offering them a dynamic platform to:
- Showcase technical skills
- Learn from industry experts
- Engage with real-world cybersecurity challenges
The competition featured diverse challenges, including:
- Web Security
- Cryptography
- Digital Forensics
- Linux Mastery
- Penetration Testing
- LLM Hacking
National Finals – November 4, 2025
The National Finals, held on November 4, 2025, brought together top-performing teams from universities across Uganda. Opening remarks were delivered by and the Head of Cybersecurity Mr. Ronald Bakakimpa and the Director of ICT and Research Ms. Christine Mugimba, emphasizing the critical role of cybersecurity in Uganda’s digital transformation.
The finals culminated in an intense Capture The Flag (CTF) challenge, blending Red Team (offensive) and Blue Team (defensive) scenarios that mirrored real-world cyber incidents. Students demonstrated skills in vulnerability exploitation, threat detection, and incident response using tools like Splunk and Security Onion.
Winners and Awards
- ISBAT University emerged as the overall champion, showcasing exceptional technical prowess.
- Mbarara University of Science and Technology secured second place.
- St. Lawrence University claimed third place, highlighting the growing cybersecurity talent across Uganda.
The 22 top students received exam and training vouchers, including certifications such as CompTIA Security+, plus Airtel MiFi devices to support continued learning.
Voices from the Competition
Participants described the experience as transformative:
- “… It was competitive, hands-on, and packed with learning …” – Castro Nicholas, ISBAT University [linkedin.com]
- “… This year’s challenge wasn’t just about finding flags. It was about thinking like an attacker and defending like a professional …” – Segawa Abdul (alias Z3R0), ISBAT University [linkedin.com]
- “… Leading the team strengthened my confidence, coordination, and empathy …” – Asasira Queen Pinklen, Victoria University [linkedin.com]
Looking Ahead
CyberStars2025 is more than a competition, it’s a movement to empower Uganda’s youth with the skills needed to defend against evolving cyber threats. Congratulations to all participants, mentors, and organizers for making this edition a resounding success!
One participant shared their experience solving a challenge in a detailed Medium post here
5th CEO ANNUAL CYBERSECURITY BREAKFAST - 3rd july 2025
The UCC CERT successfully hosted the 5th Annual CEO Cybersecurity Breakfast on 3rd July 2025 at the UCC Conference Hall. The event was well attended by CEOs and CTOs from the communications sector, who gathered to discuss strategic approaches to enhancing cybersecurity resilience across the industry.
The keynote address was delivered by Ms. Audrey Mnisi, a representative from the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), who emphasized the importance of collaboration among operators in addressing cybersecurity challenges.
A high-level panel discussion followed, featuring:
Ms. Sylvia Mulinge, CEO, MTN Uganda
Mr. Soumendra Sahu, Managing Director, Airtel Uganda
Mr. Michael Mukasa, CEO, Liquid Intelligent Solutions
Mr. Nicholas Mbonimpa, CEO, RENU
Ms. Christine Mugimba, UCC Director ICT and Research
The panelists shared insights into the measures their organizations are implementing to strengthen cybersecurity and discussed the need for collective sector-wide efforts to address emerging threats and secure Uganda’s digital infrastructure.
4th Operator Cyber Drill - 5th June 2025
On 5th June 2025, the Cybersecurity Division of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) conducted its 4th Operator Cyber Drill. Held virtually via Zoom, the event was facilitated by Mr. Lawrence Muchilwa from the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), and leveraged the UCC Cybersecurity Simulation Platform.
The primary aim of this exercise was to strengthen the communication and incident response capabilities of the sector and to ensure continued collaborations in mitigating cyber threats across the sector.
The drill attracted over 100 participants from 18 licensed operators. The session began with a pre-drill training exercise, during which participants were guided through a hands-on cybersecurity incident scenario. The main drill commenced in the afternoon, simulating a high-impact cyber incident targeting a telecommunications operator.
To recognize outstanding performance, 20 top participants were awarded exam and training vouchers for a cybersecurity certification course.
The event was well received, with participants expressing appreciation and calling for more such engagements in the future.
2024
4th Annual CEO Cybersecurity Breakfast - 25 July 2024
The Commission’s Information Security Unit hosted the 4th Annual CEO Cybersecurity Breakfast on July 25, 2024, at the UCC Conference Hall. This event provided a platform for regulators (BOU and UCC), CEOs from the communications sector, and leaders from other key industries to discuss the latest trends, risks, and management strategies in cybersecurity. A Keynote speaker and a panel of executives shared valuable insights on leveraging cybersecurity as a competitive advantage.
The annual CEO Cybersecurity Breakfast aims to educate executives on the critical importance of cybersecurity, providing practical advice on safeguarding their organizations against cyber threats. This year’s theme, “Cybersecurity as a Competitive Advantage: Robust Cybersecurity Measures as a Catalyst for Innovation and Competitive Edge,” emphasized how strong cybersecurity practices can drive innovation and enhance competitiveness.
Operator Cyber Drill - 12 April 2024
The Cyber Drill was hosted remotely and was graced by participants from cybersecurity teams of telecommunications institutions. It simulated a critical cybersecurity incident targeting a telecommunication institution.
The drill’s primary objective was to assess the preparedness and response capabilities of an organization’s cybersecurity team in handling a sophisticated Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking attack. This exercise provided valuable insights into the participating members strengths and areas for improvement in defending against such attacks.
The scenario was centered around a BGP Hijacking attack that began with a phishing attempt targeting an employee’s personal Gmail account. The phishing email, masquerading as a communication from the local tax revenue authority, tricked the user into downloading and installing malware on their machine. This malware served as the entry point for the threat actor, who subsequently moved laterally within the network, compromising the edge router. The attacker rerouted traffic to their malicious router, effectively disrupting communication between critical routers and initiating a crisis that required a coordinated response from the Telecom’s cybersecurity team and relevant stakeholders.
Participants were evaluated based on their performance in responding to the simulated attack, with scores reflecting their ability to identify, mitigate, and respond to the threat.
2023
Regional Cyber Security Summit for Africa - 20 - 23 November 2023
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and the Uganda Computer Emergency Response Team (UG-CERT), with the support of AfricaCERT, hosted the Regional Cybersecurity Summit for Africa from November 20 to 23, 2023 at UCC House Bugolobi.
Summary of Day 1 – Theme: Strengthening security in the digital economy
Day 1 of the summit explored various aspects of cybersecurity, starting with a keynote on the importance of the human element and the need for personalized approaches, awareness, and digital literacy. Sessions covered international cybersecurity standards, with a focus on ITU-T X.1060, security baselines for digital infrastructure, and strategies for emerging technologies. The day concluded with an overview of ITU-D’s cybersecurity initiatives.
Summary of Day 2 – Theme: Security and cyber resilience of critical infrastructure and digital financial services
Day 2 covered a range of topics on critical infrastructure and digital financial services (DFS) security. Sessions included discussions on cybersecurity challenges, the roles of regulators and DFS providers, ITU’s work on DFS security, and country experiences with the ITU DFS Security Lab. The day also featured a deep dive into Blockchain Secure Authentication (BSA) for mobile payments and concluded with a session on bridging the standardization gap to empower developing countries in the ITU’s standards-making process.
Summary of Day 3 – CyberDrill
Day 3 opened with a keynote on the importance of cybersecurity preparedness, stressing the value of tailored cyber simulation exercises. This was followed by a session where experts shared their experiences with cyber drills. The day continued with hands-on exercises covering website defacement, DFS cyber resilience, and phishing/malware analysis, all aimed at enhancing cybersecurity readiness.
3rd Annual CEO Cybersecurity Breakfast - 05 May 2023
The Commission through its CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) hosted the 3rd annual CEO Cybersecurity breakfast in the UCC (Uganda Communications Commission) Conference Hall on 5th May 2023. The theme for the event was “Cybersecurity in Digital Financial Services: Best practices, strategies, and the future.”
It served as an opportunity for CEOs of licensed operators, the financial sector, and financial technology (fintech) service providers to converge and discuss the latest trends, challenges, and solutions in cybersecurity management in the digital financial services environment. A keynote speaker and panel of banking and telecommunication executives provided insights on various aspects of cybersecurity management.
The event aimed to educate executives on the importance of cybersecurity and provide practical advice on how to protect their organizations against cyber threats in digital financial services.
