Oasys and XPLA to Host Hackathon Promoting Blockchain Interoperability

Hana Financial and FSS join hands to foster young digital talentHana Financial Group said Sunday that the South Korean financial holding company held a proclamation ceremony for the second Hana Digital Power On Project last Thursday — a program designed to cultivate young digital talent in emerging technologies like blockchain and big data — at the Hana Global Campus in Incheon.Support from tech juggernautsThe program, sponsored by the Korean Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and several tech giants such as Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and SK Telecom, was first held last year. This year’s project saw the participation of over 50 individuals forming 16 teams, Hana said.Photo by Marvin Meyer on UnsplashCompetitions and trainingA contest centered around new digital technology was also held on the same day. Participating teams proposed ideas for solving issues that may arise in the financial industry using artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data technologies.Winning teams will be rewarded up to KRW 10 million (approximately $7,500) in prize money along with the opportunity to visit several information technology companies. They will also have the chance to participate in a hackathon competition organized by SK Telecom to further develop their ideas.They will also undergo a four-week digital education program put together by Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as practical training provided by the Hana Institute of Technology. Notably, graduates of the program will be exempt from going through the initial screening process when applying for positions at Hana Financial Group.Officials including Lee Bok-hyun, Governor of the FSS; Lee Hoon-kyu, Director of Future for Youth Foundation; and Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, were in attendance.“We will strive to cultivate young digital talent and create employment opportunities for the youth,” said Hana Chairman Ham. FSS Governor Lee also added that there is a need to secure interdisciplinary talents capable of generating innovative ideas.

Global blockchain security ranking platform CertiK announced that its Skyfall research team has been inducted into the Samsung Mobile Security Rewards Program’s 2023 Hall of Fame, according to an article by South Korean news outlet Greenpost Korea on Thursday (KST).Photo by Franck on UnsplashTeamwork excellenceThis Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding security researchers who have made significant contributions each year to the security of Samsung products. CertiK Skyfall’s spot in the ranking highlights the importance of collaborative efforts in solving complex cybersecurity challenges, the company said. Securing the futureThe team was responsible for actively identifying a total of seven vulnerabilities in the Samsung Blockchain Keystore – a software development kit (SDK) developed by Samsung to manage private keys – four of which were critical and three of which were high risk. The vulnerabilities left the SDK susceptible to local attacks, including arbitrary code execution and unauthorized access to sensitive data. In response, Samsung was able to quickly deploy security patches that added appropriate boundary checks and protection mechanisms. Skyfall has formerly been acknowledged twice in Apple's release notes for discovering multiple vulnerabilities in new iOS and iPadOS software releases, the most recent being iOS 17 Security Update. Last June, the team was also awarded the Sui network’s highest bug bounty for discovering and fixing a critical vulnerability. "We are extremely proud of the outstanding performance of the CertiK Skyfall team," said Kang Li, Chief Security Officer at CertiK. "It is a testament to the team's professionalism, integrity and deep impact at the forefront of cybersecurity." CertiK is comprised of a team of seasoned experts from reputable universities including Yale and Columbia University and globally renowned companies like Google and Microsoft. The firm also operates from several offices around the world, including Seoul.

Crypto.com Holds Twitter Giveaway for PSG FansGlobal cryptocurrency trading platform Crypto.com on Tuesday opened a social media giveaway for its Twitter followers as a sponsor of the French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to commemorate the recent arrival of six new players — Lee Kang-in, Manuel Ugarte, Hugo Ekitiké, Milan Škriniar, Marco Asensio, and Cher Ndour.Photo by Alexander Shatov on UnsplashFootball club with NFT collectionCrypto.com signed a long-term sponsorship deal with PSG in September 2021, becoming the club’s official cryptocurrency platform partner. In June of last year, they introduced the Tiger Champs NFT collection on their NFT marketplace in collaboration with the club and Taiwanese artist Jay Chou, celebrating its tenth Ligue 1 title.“We are delighted to host this giveaway, and we ask for your continued interest in our future events for PSG fans in Korea,” said Patrick Yoon, General Manager of Crypto.com Korea.The platform has been accelerating its expansion in Asia, marked by preparations to launch its services in South Korea and a signed deal with LINE Xenesis, a blockchain developer of Tokyo-based messaging app giant LINE Corp.Giveaway conditionsParticipants with a public Twitter account were eligible to enter the giveaway by following Crypto.com’s official Twitter account and retweeting and liking the giveaway tweet by 00:00 UTC on Thursday.Crypto.com plans to select one participant through a draw and award them a jersey with the autograph of player Lee Kang-in. The winner will be announced via direct message on Twitter by Saturday.The event was also held in lieu of PSG’s friendly match with the South Korean football club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, held on Thursday afternoon at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.PSG is known for topping the ranks of Ligue 1, the top division of French football, and hosting world-famous footballers like Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr.