Teng Zheng and Mohammad Ezaly (second and third from right respectively) with Ts Lim (leftmost), and the other cybersecurity coaches, Mr Wong Yik Han(rightmost), alumnus of TAR UMT and Encik Sofian bin Mohamad, Head of Computer Unit Skills, Instructor Development Programme, Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skills Training (CIAST), Department of Skills Development, Shah Alam, Ministry of Human Resources.
TAR UMT continues to demonstrate its excellence in cybersecurity education. Under the guidance of its academic and country expert, Ts Lim Mei Shyan, TAR UMT graduate Wang Teng Zheng and UniKL MIIT graduate Mohammad Ezaly Iman Bin Ramli, clinched the Bronze Medal in the Cyber Security category at the prestigious WorldSkills Asia Competition 2025 held in Taipei on 27 – 29 November 2025. This year’s competition saw the participation of over 500 participants from more than 35 Asian countries.
Competing against the region's top young talents, Teng Zheng and Mohammad Ezaly demonstrated exceptional technical prowess and resilience in a gruelling three-day event that tested competitors on Enterprise Security, Red Team (offensive security), and Blue Team (defensive security) operations.
The WorldSkills Asia Competition is widely regarded as the premier vocational skills event in the region, demanding not only technical expertise but also the ability to adapt to real-world scenarios under strict constraints. Teng Zheng, who graduated with the Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) in Information Security, shared the most challenging part of the competition as he said, "For us, not having internet access to perform research for problem-solving was the hardest part. We had to rely entirely on our knowledge and on-the-spot analysis."
This adaptability was tested immediately on the first day during the Enterprise Security module. Teng Zheng and Mohammad encountered an unexpected infrastructure setup that they had never worked with before. "We relied on the available documentation to learn on the spot and configure as much as we could," Teng Zheng explained.
He credits his success to a combination of solid foundational training and critical thinking skills honed at TAR UMT. While the University's lecturers provided essential knowledge, the competition's high-level challenges—designed by well-known third-party cybersecurity vendors—required him to extend his learning beyond the classroom curriculum. He highlighted that the ability to perform unpredictable coding and scripting without referring to the internet was the specific skill that made the biggest difference in his success.
The victory was also a testament to effective teamwork. Competing in a team event, Teng Zheng recalled a pivotal moment during the third day. "My teammate was stuck at the privilege escalation part. We worked together on it and eventually solved the problem," he said, underscoring the collaborative spirit required in high-stakes cybersecurity environments.
Reflecting on his achievement, Teng Zheng views the experience as a significant milestone in his personal and professional development. "My biggest personal takeaway from this competition is realising how much room I can grow when I challenge myself. I learned to step outside of my comfort zone and stay focused under pressure."
This achievement at WorldSkills Asia 2025 adds to TAR UMT’s growing track record of excellence in information technology and cybersecurity competitions, reinforcing the University's commitment to nurturing industry-ready talent capable of competing on the global stage.
