Record participation at UNbreakable Romania 2025: nearly 1,700 high school and university students joined the cybersecurity programme to prepare for their future careers

UNbreakable România, the country’s largest cybersecurity education programme for high school and university students, ended its eighth edition with record participation, with nearly 1,700 young people from across the country registering to take part in training sessions, local competitions and national challenges. Starting this year, the programme also aims to build local cybersecurity clubs – active communities that promote hands-on learning and connect students with industry professionals, helping them take their first steps towards a career in the field.

In addition to the well-known pre-competition training and the individual and team-based competition phases, the 2025 edition of UNbreakable România introduced several new initiatives. The programme kicked off with an online bootcamp between 20 February and 27 March, with 15 thematic webinars and nearly 1,700 registered participants. For the first time, students had the chance to take part in local competitions across six cities – Bucharest, Iași, Suceava, Sibiu, Timișoara, and Cluj-Napoca – designed to help them gear up for the program’s official rounds. A total of 376 students from 70 high schools and 14 universities participated in these events. More than half of them participated in a Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge for the first time, highlighting the growing interest in cybersecurity among young people.

”This year’s results clearly show that the new generation actively seeks education and hands-on experience in cybersecurity. We’ve expanded the programme through high-impact local events in major cities, and the next step is to build cyber clubs that will support both community development and emerging talent across the country. We aim to make cybersecurity education more accessible – not just in major cities, but in smaller towns too – to discover future experts and empower them to grow in an increasingly essential field”, Andrei Avădănei, CEO Bit Sentinel, said.

As in previous years, UNbreakable Romania was hosted by the CyberEDU platform, developed by Bit Sentinel and supported by Orange, co-organisers of the programme. CyberEDU provides participants with essential tools and learning resources to build a career in cybersecurity. The platform hosted both the online bootcamp and the two stages of the competition, individual and team. The individual competition attracted 486 participants: 191 from universities, 236 from high schools, and 59 who competed “for fun”. Participants came from 167 high schools and 27 universities, representing 40 countries. In the team competition, 211 teams competed, an increase of 80% compared to last year. Of these, 134 teams earned points during the Challenge.

”UNbreakable Romania 2025 is more than a competition – it’s a gateway to the jobs of the future. With the European Union estimating a shortage of over 500,000 cybersecurity professionals by 2025, Romania needs to act fast. Training an expert in this field can take anywhere from 2 to 5 years, depending on education and practical experience. That’s why building active communities and grassroots movements to inspire, identify and develop talent from an early age is essential. UNbreakable is just that: a catalyst for Romania’s future digital defenders”, Marius Maican, Technology Director Orange Romania, said.

The top 16 teams from the online team competition – eight from high schools and eight from universities – qualified for the UNbreakable Romania 2025 final, held in Bucharest from 9 to 11 May. The 44 finalists from across the country competed on the CyberEDU platform, demonstrating solid technical skills, collaboration and resilience in the face of complex challenges. Prizes worth over €5,000 were donated by Bit Sentinel and Orange Romania. The winning teams included students from Constanța, Mangalia, Oradea and Bucharest (high school category) and Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest (university category).

UNbreakable Romania is a complex and a complete program, a bridge between education and the job market. During the individual competition in March, 87% of participants said they were not employed and 80% expressed interest in securing a cybersecurity internship. Notably, 60% were first-time participants, a strong indicator that the programme continues to attract fresh talent and plays a key role in training the next generation of professionals.

In a digital landscape increasingly defined by sophisticated cyberattacks and a critical shortage of skilled professionals, UNbreakable Romania 2025 positions itself as a strategic response to cybersecurity workforce development. According to the (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 59% of professionals say the skills gap affects their ability to protect their organisations, and 58% believe it exposes them to significant risks. Against this backdrop, investing in youth training and local community development – as UNbreakable Romania is doing – is essential to closing the gap between supply and demand, enabling applied learning and aligning education with industry needs.

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About UNbreakable Romania

UNbreakable Romania is a national program designed for high school and university students who are pursuing or considering a career in cybersecurity, or who simply want to deepen their knowledge in the field. The pilot edition launched in 2020, and since then UNbreakable has grown into an annual initiative, with more than 6,500 participants to date from dozens of universities and hundreds of high schools across Romania.