Organised in Kuala Lumpur from 20 to 23 May 2025 within the framework of the CyberSEE Project, alongside CyberEast+, CyberSouth+, GLACY-e and Octopus projects and in close partnership with INTERPOL and the National Cyber Security Agency of Malaysia (NACSA), the first edition of the Cyber Games, a high-level technical competition on cybercrime and digital forensics, brought together 50 countries and 140 experts from across the globe.
This inaugural edition marked a milestone in simulation-based exercises where top cybercrime investigators, digital forensics specialists and cybersecurity experts participate in team competitions to practice and share their skills to address real-life challenges in investigating ransomware attacks, including open source-based attribution, incident response, forensic imaging and tracing cryptocurrencies. The event also fosters cooperation among practitioners and promotes the use of the tools of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention).
During the opening session, the Digital Minister of Malaysia Mr. Gobind Singh Deo noted that the Cyber Games 2025 aligns with country’s strategic efforts to combat cybercrime, including the recent Cabinet approval to accede to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and the drafting of a new Cybercrime Bill, which is expected to be adopted in Parliament by the end of this year.
Mr. Alexander Seger, Head of the Cybercrime Division of the Council of Europe and Head of the Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) in Bucharest, Romania, underscored the long-standing cooperation with Malaysia since 2008, highlighting the importance of the Budapest Convention and its Second Additional Protocol along with the role of C-PROC in supporting global capacity building efforts to effectively combat cybercrime and virtual assets across borders. Mr. Seger stressed that the Cyber Games and practical exercises developed by C-PROC are the most dynamic and effective tool to strengthen the skills of practitioners and the international cooperation on cybercrime and electronic evidence.
The Cyber Games featured a series of dynamic challenges, specifically tailored to reflect the complexity of transnational cybercrime investigations and also integrated the 7th INTERPOL Digital Security Challenge, enabling further collaboration for a global response to cyber threats.
Building on the success of this first edition, the Council of Europe through its C-PROC will continue supporting countries worldwide in strengthening their criminal justice capacities on cybercrime and electronic evidence, with future editions of the Cyber Games already planned for 2026 and 2027.
Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention