CyberEx 2025: Cyberfoxes AETHER Clinches 2nd Place in AFP's Elite Cyber Defense Exercise Competition
School of Computing
March 13, 2025
March 10, 2025 – Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City – The Cyber Exercise for Excellence (CyberEx 2025), the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) flagship cyber defense competition, concluded on March 9 after two days of high-stakes cybersecurity challenges. Held at Ricarte Hall, Fort Bonifacio, the competition brought together 18 schools to battle through rigorous cyber defense scenarios designed to enhance skills in network security, ethical hacking, and system defense.
Representing Holy Angel University-School of Computing with skill and determination, Cyberfoxes AETHER—composed of Mark Christopher Rivera, Francisco Olpindo IV, Cathereen David, and Franchesca Razon—showcased exceptional technical expertise, strategic execution, and teamwork. Guided by their coaches, Prof. Avigail Magbag and Prof. Chris Almora, the team fought their way through multiple cybersecurity challenges, ultimately securing a 2nd place finish in this prestigious national competition.
CyberEx 2025 was structured into three progressive levels, with each stage increasing in difficulty. Teams had to accumulate enough points to advance to the next level.
A major component of the competition was the Capture-the-Flag (CTF) challenge, where teams had to identify vulnerabilities, exploit security gaps, and retrieve hidden digital flags. However, scoring wasn’t just about capturing flags—teams also had to submit detailed reports explaining their methodologies, attack vectors, and potential defensive measures.
The quality of these reports played a crucial role in final scoring, as they assessed not just technical execution but also critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills—all essential traits for real-world cybersecurity professionals.
Throughout the two-day cyber warfare challenge, Cyberfoxes AETHER maintained a strong presence on the leaderboard, demonstrating their expertise in ethical hacking, exploit development, and cybersecurity defense tactics.
The final day saw intense competition, with teams rapidly capturing flags and racing against time to submit their reports. The leaderboard shifted constantly, keeping spectators and participants on edge. In the end, Cyberfoxes AETHER finished as 2nd place champions, narrowly missing the top spot but proving their exceptional skill and resilience in the face of fierce competition.
Cyberfoxes AETHER’s journey at CyberEx 2025 was strongly supported by the School of Computing’s leadership, with Dean Dr. Marlon Tayag and Prof. Gian Tolibas and Prof. Kevin Espinosa accompanying the team to motivate and guide them throughout the event. Their presence underscored the institution’s commitment to cybersecurity education and excellence, providing students with opportunities to compete, innovate, and lead in the field of cybersecurity.
CyberEx 2025 was not just a competition—it was a training ground for the country’s future cybersecurity leaders. The AFP’s initiative aims to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by simulating real-world cyber threats and challenging participants to develop effective countermeasures.
Cyberfoxes AETHER’s remarkable performance in this year’s competition reflects their dedication, teamwork, and advanced technical capabilities. As they celebrate their 2nd place victory, the team is already looking ahead to future challenges, determined to return stronger and claim the championship title in upcoming cyber defense competitions.