From Hobby to Achievement: Azril Fathoni’s Journey in Conquering the World of Cyber Security
Faculty
Image: Representing his team, Azril receives an award at the Netcomp event.
What started as curiosity and a love for solving challenges turned into a path of achievement for Muhammad Azril Fathoni, an Information Technology student at ITS. He turned Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions into a learning space and a platform for success. Amidst his busy life as a student and full-time infosec consultant, Azril remains active in cybersecurity competitions and has earned several national accomplishments.
Image: Azril and his team competing in a cybersecurity event.
Most recently, Azril and his team, “Fried Fermented Soybean,” representing the Heroes Cyber Security community, won 1st place at the National Network Competition 3.0 (Netcomp) hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Alongside Muhammad Fawwaz Razani (Information Systems) and Jericho Nathanael Chrisnanta (Informatics Engineering), each member contributed according to their expertise Azril in web exploitation, Razani in binary exploitation, and Jericho in reverse engineering. “Whenever someone gets stuck, we help each other out. Teamwork is the key,” said Azril.
Image: Azril and his team receiving an award at the Hology competition.
In other competitions like Hology by FILKOM UB, challenges also arose, particularly with binary exploitation tasks. However, by adapting their strategy and focusing on other categories, team “Sogno di Volare” managed to stay competitive. Despite now being recognized as a top competitor, Azril’s journey was far from easy. He admitted to almost giving up when he first entered the CTF world. “At the beginning, it felt really hard to compete, especially seeing how skilled others were. But then I changed my mindset from wanting to win to wanting to learn and have fun,” he explained.
Azril draws inspiration from Achmad Zaenuri (Information Systems 2019), who has frequently competed in and won international competitions. Now, Azril aspires to become an educator in the cybersecurity field, especially in Indonesia.
He also highlights the need to improve cybersecurity education and training in the country. According to him, many paid courses focus more on quick money-making methods rather than building strong fundamentals such as ethical hacking, programming, and networking. “Fundamentals are crucial for long-term growth,” he emphasized.
For students who want to start their journey in cybersecurity, Azril recommends joining beginner-level CTF competitions and engaging with communities for support. “Don’t be afraid of being left behind. Enjoy the process and don’t compare yourself to others.”
Azril expressed his gratitude to the Heroes Cyber Security community, which has been his learning home at ITS, and shared a message for his beloved campus.
“I hope ITS can provide more support for students who want to join competitions independently. Many struggle with transportation and accommodation.”
Writer: ITS ELECTICS Public Relations
Latest News
-
ITS FTIRS Lecturer Wins Prestigious WSO Concerned Professional Award 2025
ITS FTIRS Lecturer Wins Prestigious WSO Concerned Professional Award 2025 Jakarta, 2025 – The prestigious World Safety Organization
-
Visits of Students of Al Azhar 14 Islamic High School Semarang to the FTIRS Faculty
Visits of Students of Al Azhar 14 Islamic High School Semarang to the FTIRS On Tuesday, April 22, 2025,
-
From Hobby to Income: Egan’s Journey in Building a 3D Car Modeling Business
Who would’ve thought that a love for cars and a passion for gaming could pave the way to a
