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Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023

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Welcome, If you wish to register for Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023, then we recommend you go through the information below. 

You can find the answers to all your questions regarding the program timeline, eligibility, etc., in the below section. Click on each question to view the answer.  

Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023 FAQs

If you want to know what it’s like to work as a Software Development Engineer at Cisco Security, then Cisco’s Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023 is the perfect opportunity! The challenge provides endless opportunities for you to be part of the innovation journey at Cisco to help customers connect, secure, and automate to accelerate their digital agility in a cloud-first world and to drive the most trusted customer experience in the industry. 

The challenge will be open between 9 am and 9 pm IST on three days - March 24 through March 26, and you can take the test anytime during this window.

Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023 is an online challenge powered by the HackerRank platform. This contest will challenge participants to solve coding problems with varying complexities (easy, medium, and hard) in 90 mins.

This contest is open for Software Engineering professionals in India with 3+ years of experience with a passion for working in the security space and looking to challenge their skills.

Stand a chance to win the latest smartphones and gadgets if you are amongst the top three winners!

  • Winner - iPhone 14 pro and a Cisco headset with outstanding audio and noise-cancellation to go with it!
  • 1st Runner Up - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G
  • 2nd Runner Up - Apple Watch, Series 8 GPS + Cellular
That’s not all... If you are amongst the top 50 winners, you stand a chance to:
  • Experience a day at the Cisco Campus
  • Meet Cisco’s technology leaders and hear first-hand how they are helping change the world with the power of technology and their expertise.
  • Return with exciting merchandise and swag from Cisco!

This contest is for Individual participants.

The contest will take place from Friday, March 24, to Sunday, March 26, between 9 am and 9 pm IST every day. Interested candidates must register to participate in this contest by filling out the registration form here. Applications will be screened, and eligible candidates will receive a confirmation email from Cisco. 

Applications will be screened, and eligible candidates will receive a confirmation email from Cisco.

You can refer to our careers page and explore opportunities that interest you.

Preparation Checklist

  • Install and use the latest versions of Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox browsers to take your HackerRank challenges for the best experience. Refer to Browser recommendations for more information.
  • Since this will be a proctored challenge, take the challenge from a webcam-enabled computer. Check your webcam status before beginning your challenge. Please refer to the Webcam Troubleshooting Guide in case you face any issues with webcam access during the challenge. 
  • You can just perform a system check here before you start your challenge.
  • Make sure you are in a location with adequate internet and power supply to avoid problems during the challenge.
  • You can carve out a quiet and well-lit spot with minimal distractions, as the webcam will be enabled for the challenge.
  • We suggest you take the sample challenge before the main challenge to familiarize yourself with the HackerRank environment. The Sample challenge will be blocked on the day of the challenge. Please make sure to try the sample challenge before.

Answering Questions on HackerRank

In Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023, you will answer coding and multiple-choice questions. 

Here is a short video to walk you through the process of taking coding questions on the HackerRank platform. 

 

You can take a look at the article Answering Multiple-Choice Questions to understand how to solve MCQs on the HackerRank platform. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. We recommend you go through these questions to resolve your queries quickly. If your question still needs to be addressed here, please reach out to eventsupport@hackerrank.com. We will be happy to help you with your concern.

Before the challenge

Your recruiter may enforce proctoring for your HackerRank challenge. During the challenge, proctoring allows your recruiter to monitor your focus on the screen and detect any malpractices.

For Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023, three types of proctoring will be enabled. 

Proctoring or Webcam Proctoring 

Cisco Hack to Secure Coding Challenge 2023 will have a proctored challenge, and you must enable your webcam to take the challenge. Note that you will only be able to start the challenge if the webcam is enabled for your system or if you have a faulty webcam installed.

Here are a few things to remember while taking a proctored challenge: 

  • Always make sure that you are sitting in a well-lit area and that your face is clearly visible during the challenge.
  • Make sure that your face is perfectly positioned in front of the camera.
  • Do not let anyone sit behind you during the challenge. Only your face should be visible to the camera.
  • This challenge is being proctored. So, your photos will be taken during the challenge at periodic time intervals. Only those taking the challenge should be visible in those photos. 

You must follow these rules while taking the proctored challenge. It may cause disqualification for the next round if not followed properly.

Tab Proctoring 

Tab proctoring will be enabled for your challenge, so we suggest you not switch tabs in between while taking the challenge, as the same will get captured in your report, which may result in disqualification for the next round.

Copy/Paste Tracking  

Copy/Paste Tracking will be enabled for your challenge. If you try to paste a copied code in the assessment, it will be shown in the challenge report and may result in disqualification from further rounds.

If you complete your registration on Cisco’s portal with all accurate details and are eligible for the program, you will receive your invitation by March 22, 2023. Before getting help, please check other folders (including spam) in your email service. If you still cannot find the invite, it could mean you are not eligible for the challenge. 

Please make sure you use a webcam-enabled computer for this challenge. You can go ahead and check your webcam status here if you like. If your webcam is not detected there, it could mean a driver-related issue within the Operating System.

If your webcam is working but still getting errors, here are some quick troubleshooting tips.

  • While attempting the challenge, you can use the latest Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
  • You can just turn off any active anti-virus software on your computer. 
  • Update or reinstall your webcam driver
  • Restart your computer. 

You can refer to the Webcam Troubleshooting Guide for more troubleshooting tips.

The challenge is open for 3 days, and you may take the test anytime during these 3 days between 9 am and 9 pm IST. If you miss taking the test during this window, it will not be possible for us to reschedule the challenge. Please make yourself available at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time slot on any 3 days, so you don’t miss taking the challenge. 

If you have received multiple invites for this challenge, please take either one. Ensure you don’t take this challenge twice.

 

During the challenge 

All the work you submitted before losing the internet connection is saved on our servers. After the internet connectivity is resumed, you can log on to the challenge again (if it is within the completion time) and resume answering the questions. The timer does not stop ticking when you are offline, and the challenge ends at the scheduled time. We suggest you use a backup internet connection in the worst-case scenario since you can't retake or extend the duration once the given time is over. 

This message usually shows up when you have an unstable internet connection. We recommend you check your internet connection before joining the challenge. If your internet is working fine but you are still getting server errors, don't hesitate to contact support at eventsupport@hackerrank.com.

This may happen due to a poor or no internet connection. We recommend you check your network strength before starting the challenge. The login page might not load in the unlikely event of downtime of the HackerRank server. You can check our website status over here.

The interface saves your answer automatically. If the challenge ended before you could submit it, the saved answer is automatically submitted to the challenge as the final answer.

It is not possible to extend the challenge duration. We would suggest you be prepared ahead of the challenge to avoid unwanted scenarios like loss of Internet connectivity or electricity to make sure you complete your challenge in the given time. Please take a look at the preparation checklist shared above to help yourself prepare for the challenge.

After the challenge

Cisco will review your attempt and get back to you with your result. We request you be patient during this period.

Note: We would like you to write to us only at . Writing to the general support of HackerRank or Cisco will not warrant a reply. We wish you all the best for the challenge.

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