MAKÜ students became the first in Turkey in the applied 'Cyber Security' competition

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) students achieved significant success in the Cyber Homeland 2026 CTF Final Competition, which is considered one of Turkey's most prestigious organizations in the field of cyber security, becoming the first in Turkey.

The final organization, conducted under the coordination of the General Directorate of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, was hosted this year by Hacettepe University. Teams from 26 regions across Turkey, which successfully completed their training processes under the coordination of development agencies, fiercely competed in the 6-hour CTF competition.

In this large organization, the Serdengeçtiler Team, representing the Western Mediterranean Region, completed the competition in first place with their outstanding performance. MAKÜ students Çağın Kayra Yıldırım and Seyfullah Polat, who are part of the team, made both MAKÜ and their region proud with this achievement.

In the process leading to success, students participated in the Cyber Homeland Program White Hat Ethical Hacker Training held between April 20-24, 2026, in collaboration with MAKÜ and the Western Mediterranean Development Agency, going through an important preparation process. The Serdengeçtiler Team, which showcased knowledge, technical competence, strategy, and team cohesion at the highest level, drew attention by reaching the first place in Turkey in the final where representatives from 81 provinces participated.

The management of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University stated in a statement regarding the achieved success that they are proud of the students' competencies in the field of cyber security and included the following expressions:

“We sincerely congratulate our students Çağın Kayra Yıldırım and Seyfullah Polat, as well as team members Berat Öcal, Enes Çelik, and Yiğit Barcın, who contributed to this success, our trainers, and our stakeholder institutions that contributed to the implementation of the program, and we wish our students continued success.”

During the closing ceremony of the final program, the awards were presented to the winning teams by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Oruç Baba İnan. The ceremony was also attended by Hacettepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran, General Director of Development Agencies Ahmet Şimşek, Head of Cyber Security and Information Systems Department of the Defense Industry Presidency Murat Çizgel, and Director of STM Cyber Security and Information Systems Erhan Gündoğdu.

This important achievement of MAKÜ students once again highlights MAKÜ's educational vision in technology and information, while also showcasing the potential of young people in the field of cyber security.