ConU events – The Concordian

ConUHacks: coding competition at Concordia sponsors protection against cybersecurity

The Communications Security Establishment was looking for top coders last week at ConUHacks, as risks to cybersecurity increase

Coders from all ranges of experience filled the halls of Concordia’s JMSB and Hall buildings to compete in HackConcordia’s annual hackathon, ConUHacks. The event was host to many sponsors who planted respective booths to receive and recruit promising talent or “hackers.”

The event was established by Terril Fancott, a computer science and software engineering professor at Concordia, who passed away in 2020. HackConcordia continues to host the hackathon in honour of his memory.

A hackathon has teams of coders programming a project in a set amount of time. At ConUHacks, participants had 24 hours to finish their work and impress the judges to potentially win prizes.

This year, the event had the most participants since its start in 2014, with over 800 applications.

However, the presence of the Communications Security Establishment of Canada (CSE) at the event was more than just for recruiting top coders. As people continue to crowd the internet with their personal information, the CSE hoped to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats.

Vatsa Shah, co-president of HackConcordia, said students interested in working for the CSE were encouraged to complete their sponsored challenge. Teams that could design programs around cybersecurity — for example, apps that could test password security — would be eligible to win extra prizes. Most importantly, they’d catch the attention of the CSE’s recruiters.

“The experience they might gain here, that translates to real life,” said Shah. “Pushing to the limit, with challenges they can only get here.”

In a recent article by the CBC, head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Sami Khoury advised to be more cautious than ever when posting personal information online. Khoury singled out TikTok as an application that caught the organization’s attention.

Darren Holden, a software developer for the CSE, said that his team works towards building and maintaining applications that block malicious domains from Canadian networks. Although Holden couldn’t speak to specific threats on TikTok, he advised caution when using social media.

“There’s always potential for harm due to poor cybersecurity,” Holden said.

Holden encouraged those who are concerned about cybersecurity threats to visit the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security advisory website, which offers advice to users on safely using the web.

The hackathon also gave novel coders the chance to gain experience in a setting that offered new challenges.

Nicolas Pop, a second-year computer science student at Concordia, took advantage of ConUHacks to hone his skills in A.I. programming. He recognized the importance of cybersecurity and expressed interest in applying to the CSE.

“As we move towards a society that practically lives online, we need to protect the vital information being stored,” said Pop. Although his knowledge of coding for cybersecurity was limited, he took the opportunity to speak with recruiters and further immerse himself in a new field.

Although he didn’t win, Pop aims to practice his skills to program a project of better quality next year.

Educational and erotic—Concordia hosts second sex fair

Forty-eight years ago, Montreal’s Expo 67 welcomed nations from all four corners of the globe to teach its visitors about the world around them. On Feb. 12 and 13, for the second year, Concordia’s Sexpo69 will welcome sexperts from around the city for this highly-anticipated sexposé.

Hosted by ABACUS, AHSCA, BSA, COMS Guild, CUPA, and the JSA in the upper atrium of the SP building at Loyola campus, Sexpo69 will offer a veritable smorgasbord of sexy indulgences for its patrons, from Passion Parties sex toy sales (with demonstrations!), a spanking workshop with a dominatrix, appearances by Ms. Condom, and talks on consent and safe sex organized by Concordia Health Services, Queer Concordia, and the Centre for Gender Advocacy.

“We’re having the Gender Advocacy and Sexual Assault Resource Centre letting everybody know about the resources they have for preventing rape and what consent really is, and providing support for those who have been victims of non-consensual sex,” said Elizabeth Duong, CUPA President. “We’re doing everything from consent to fetishes and a dominatrix.”

If you are into something a little…ahem… harder, Alternative Lifestyles will be setting up a BDSM display, as well as doling out info on other fetishes and fittingly, alternative lifestyles.

On a similar note, Dr. Jim Pfaus, a Concordia professor at the Centre for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology and his fetish lab students will host a talk on fetishes on Thursday at 1 p.m. Pfaus was recently lauded as the “Bill Nye of sex” by Playboy, for his work with exploring the relationship between sex and your brain. Basically, he can tell you what you (and mostly all ofus) want (what we really really want).

Alongside condoms, vibrators, cock rings, and roses (sold for $1 each for the last few romantics out there) Concordia fine arts students will be displaying nude paintings.

There will also be a raffle for some lucky students to win the gift that keeps on giving—a surprise goody bag from Passion Parties. For the unlucky ones, Passion Parties will still be giving out vouchers for 25 per cent off your next online purchase.

“People don’t need to be afraid to talk about sex,” said Duong. “The people who go to the Sexpo and already know about it already want to be there, it’s the people that are iffy about talking about sex that we’re targeting by having it in a high-traffic area where people will be walking by.”

So come once, twice, or as many times as you can handle from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 12 and 13 at the upper atrium of the SP building at Loyola campus.