APU debuted the International Battle of Hackers (IBOH) 2025 Stage Two: Attack and Defence, showcasing young hackers’ talent, with Team SN33Z1NGB4BY from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (UniKL MIIT) emerging as champions, while APU teams T3ST1NG and Hookien-mee-is-Bred secured the 1st and 2nd Runner-Up positions and dominated the Write-Up and Bingo CTF events, with more excitement to come next year.

After the success of the International Battle of Hackers (IBOH) 2025 Stage One: Jeopardy, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation’s (APU) School of Technology (SoT) welcomed back tech whizzes for the highly anticipated debut of Stage Two: Attack and Defence, held on 29 November 2025.

This year’s IBOH drew the best cyber defenders from across ASEAN and Euro-Asia, with participants representing 11 countries — Brunei, France, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, and Vietnam. 

Nearly 600 participants formed 190 teams from 35 universities, all eager to battle for global recognition.

To elevate the experience even further, Stage Two introduced two surprise formats — Write-Up and Bingo Capture-the-Flag (CTF) — adding fresh excitement and strategic depth to the competition.

Team SN33Z1NGB4BY from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (UniKL MIIT) emerged as the champions, securing an impressive 1,760 points.

The team comprising Computer System Security students Haziq Izzuddin Mohd. Shukri, Muhammad Ikhwan Mohd Nizam, and Mohamad Haziq Osman previously claimed 2nd Runner-Up in the National category of Stage One: Jeopardy.

“We came into Stage Two determined to push ourselves even further. The Attack and Defence format challenged us in new ways, but it was incredibly rewarding to see our preparation pay off.

“This victory motivates us to continue improving and exploring more advanced cybersecurity challenges. We are grateful for the opportunity to compete among such talented teams,” said Haziq, representing SN33Z1NGB4BY.

APU’s team T3ST1NG, consisting of Cyber Security students Ruhan Aidan Amaradasa, Wong Wei Jie, and Ng Zheng Jie, secured the 1st Runner-Up position in Stage Two. 

In Stage One: Jeopardy, they had already made their mark by winning 3rd Runner-Up in the National category.

The team shared that their past attempts at IBOH saw them placing around 30 places making their 2025 achievement even more meaningful.

“A lot of prior practice and setup went into this. We had experience from other Attack and Defence competition, which helped us understand what to expect. We focused on brushing up our fundamentals and preparing intensively,” said Ruhan, representing the team.

He added that the competition taught them valuable skills, including patching vulnerable machines, pushing fixes effectively, exploiting OpenSSL commands, and improving team coordination.

“We love CTF competitions. They give us real, hands-on experience with tools like Burp Suite, strengthen our Linux fundamentals, and build on everything we have learnt in our course.”

Also from APU, team Hookien-mee-is-Bred clinched the 2nd Runner-Up position in Stage Two, after previously winning 3rd Runner-Up in the International category of Stage One: Jeopardy.

The team consists of Cyber Security and Computer System & Networking students Pua Zhen Da (APU), alongside Ong Kai Yin from the University of Malaya (UM) and Gan Jing Hwan from Multimedia University (MMU).

Competing for the first time in both the International Category and the Attack and Defence format, the team embraced the challenge wholeheartedly.

“We prepared by consistently joining multiple CTF competitions, both online and physical, before IBOH. It helped us refine our problem-solving process and better understand real-world security scenarios.”

“We honestly did not expect to win in Stage One, let alone Stage Two. Competing against strong teams from different countries was daunting, but teamwork and persistence carried us through. The whole experience was fun, intense, and extremely rewarding,” said Zhen Da.

They added that IBOH allowed them to apply classroom knowledge to practical situations, pushing them beyond textbook concepts and boosting their confidence in cybersecurity.

“We plan to return for the next IBOH and join more local and international competitions. The learning does not stop here.”

APU swept the top spots in both the Write-Up and Bingo Capture-the-Flag (CTF) categories. 

In the Write-Up event, APU students dominated all three positions, with Jerrel Su Ming Jie taking first place, followed by Ivan Choong Chee Ern in second place and Ong Zi Xuan in third place. 

Meanwhile, in the Bingo CTF event, APU’s thaimcdvjeng secured first place, with Coc0M3lon finishing second and AbgJamill from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) placing third.