The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, jointly organised by the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The annual CIDC event serves as a key platform for dialogue between government institutions, the private sector, academia, and international partners on defending critical infrastructure and enhancing cyber resilience.

This year’s festival combines a conference, exhibition and professional competition, drawing 2,245 visitors, 934 training participants, 51 teams and 56 partner organisations. Its goal is to promote international experience in cybersecurity, information protection, digital stability, and artificial intelligence applications while strengthening cooperation between state and private sectors.

Over two days, participants will attend ten expert presentations and five panel discussions by local and foreign specialists, alongside six free training sessions run under Azerbaijan’s first cyber school, 'Hack the Future 2.' A large cybersecurity exhibition features 41 local and international companies showcasing the latest technologies in information protection, risk management and network security. Interactive displays, mini competitions and quizzes are also planned for visitors.

Panel topics include 'A new playground for cybercriminals: smart cities,' 'Global practices in smart infrastructure protection,' 'The dark side of technology: countering cyberattacks and social engineering,' 'Critical infrastructure at risk: a call for renewed security strategies,' and 'The city that knows you: biometrics, data collection and human rights.'

The centrepiece of CIDC 2025 is a virtual cyberwarfare competition titled Cyberwarfare in Smart Cities, simulating attacks and defences across digital infrastructure networks. The event tests participants’ ability to detect and neutralise cyberthreats and manage systems under crisis conditions.

Twenty local teams from public agencies, critical infrastructure sectors, and finance and telecom industries are competing alongside five foreign teams from the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Winners will share a prize pool of 30,000 manats (about $17,600).

Organisers say CIDC 2025 strengthens Azerbaijan’s role as a regional leader in cybersecurity, develops young professionals’ skills and deepens cooperation between government and business.

The festival’s new partnerships and technological innovations are expected to give a significant boost to the country’s digital security ecosystem.

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