Soomin Kim, Yujin Jang, Hwijeong Cho, and Injeong Kwak win the Grand Prize at the 11th Cryptanalysis Contest. N
- Date2025.09.24
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A team of students from the university won the Grand Prize (Minister of National Defense Award) at the 11th Cryptanalysis Contest hosted by the Korea Institute of Information Security and Cryptology.
Now in its 11th year, the Cryptanalysis Contest is a competition focused on solving problems related to cryptanalysis and vulnerabilities. The problems covered six categories: cryptographic implementation, block cipher analysis, stream cipher analysis, side-channel analysis, public key analysis, and digital forensics. The contest was held over four months from April to July in an open-book format, allowing participants to utilize reference materials and past problems to analyze question types and solution methods, and to take a strategic approach. This enabled them to demonstrate practical analytical ability and problem-solving skills.
The team “Hash Brown,” composed of Soomin Kim and Yujin Jang, graduate students in mathematics (co-advised by Professors Hyang Sook Lee and Aram Yoon), Hwijeong Cho (Cybersecurity major), and Injeong Kwak (Computer Science major), successfully solved all six problems and earned the honor of winning the Grand Prize. This is the first time a student team from the university has won the Grand Prize. The award ceremony was held on the 22nd, and the winning team received prize money of 6 million won.
Team leader Soomin Kim, who participated in the competition, said, “I expected synergy by combining the problems solvable with my mathematics background and those that my juniors in cybersecurity and computer science could tackle,” adding, “In the master’s program, I only dealt with theoretical aspects, but through this competition, I was able to directly experience actual vulnerability attacks and cryptanalysis, which was very beneficial.” She continued, “At school, there is active interaction among seniors and juniors in the cybersecurity club, and in classes, we can take a wide range of cryptography-related courses, which allowed me to apply what I learned directly in practice,” emphasizing the university’s excellent learning environment and support system.
In 2017, the university established the Cybersecurity major and has since supported female talents to demonstrate their capabilities in information security and cryptography through interdisciplinary education connecting mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence, and other fields. Students gain practical experience and skills in information security and cryptography through integrated education, research guidance, and club activities. The award in this competition is a testament to the outcomes of such an environment. In the era of digital transformation where information security is essential, Ewha Womans University will continue to strive to establish itself as a leading institution for nurturing women experts in information security.