Security Day

School students from the region delved into the world of IT security and artificial intelligence during the Security Day at USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten. A diverse programme featured lectures and interactive workshops for beginners, info sessions for tech lovers, and modules for more advanced participants. Tech-savvy school students could showcase their skills during the Hacking Challenge. Once again, the Austrian Armed Forces invited the participants to compete against each other in teams of four right on campus in their mobile escape-the-room containers.

Students and lecturers of the bachelor degree programmes IT Security, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, and Smart Engineering offered hands-on experiences in IT security, data competence, and industry 4.0 to roughly 400 school students visiting the Security Day at USTP.

“IT Security and artificial intelligence are key topics for companies, and their importance will only increase in future. Therefore, we are all the more happy to motivate the young talents who attend the Security Day. Their great interest and dedication showed us that we are doing the right thing here”, says Herfried Geyer, Deputy Academic Director of the bachelor degree programme IT Security and organiser of the Security Days.

Interactive Lecture and Workshop Programme

In a total of 15 workshops and lectures, students could get insights into the security of IT systems and the broad implications of artificial intelligence. The diverse programme ranged from interactive beginners workshops and practice-oriented sessions for tech lovers to more demanding modules for advanced participants.

Participants of the data science workshop “The Data Detectives”, for example, analysed a fictional zombie apocalypse, worked on the programming of robots, discovered how generative AI creates content such as images, texts and music, and explored artificial intelligence in autonomous driving.

Keynotes Demonstrate Real Cyber Threats

Peter Eder-Neuhauser of Limes Security showed how targeted attacks on energy supply networks can cause a blackout, while Herfried Geyer gave insights into the global IT security business in his lecture “Cloud, Cyber, Cash und Knast” (en. “cloud, cyber, cash, and prison”). The day culminated in an entertaining hands-on lecture on phishing, messaging fraud, and caller ID spoofing delivered by USTP lecturer Daniel Haslinger, and Christoph Lang-Muhr, Academic Director of the degree programme Information Security – giving students practical insights into the methods of cyber criminals.

Hacking Challenge and “Escape the Room”

During the Hacking Challenge, the school students could showcase their skills in forensics, cryptography, reverse engineering, ethical hacking, and defence. The winning team comprised school students of HTL Hollabrunn, HTL Spengergasse, HTBLA Kaindorf and TGM – Schule der Technik.

The team displayed outstanding analytical and logical thinking. The participants won the battles in the escape room on the topic of fake news and disinformation. This time, the escape room of the Austrian Armed Forces was open to both student and teacher teams.

More about the Security Day

IT Security and Data Science Experts Are High in Demand

During the expert talk, graduates gave insights into a typical day at their work – thereby presenting a variety of career paths. “There are not many professional fields where experts are that high in demand as it is the case for IT security, data science, and artificial intelligence. No matter whether it is in the insurance sector, in the industry, or in research – our graduates are sought-after experts everywhere”, rejoices Robert Luh, Academic Director of the bachelor degree programme IT Security.

Informationen on the Study Programmes

• Bachelor IT Security
• Bachelor Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
• Bachelor Smart Engineering of Production Technologies and Processes
• Consecutive master programmes

The Security Day 2026 was made possible with support by Sparkasse Niederösterreich Mitte West.