Cyber-Security Challenge is a site that runs regular challenges where university computing students can show their skills at cyber-security and cryptography. They have sponsorship from some very big names, including Sophos, KPMG and the Ministry of Defence Science and Technology Laboratories.

This year, they're running a special University Cipher Challenge competition that pits universities against universities to find out who can write or crack codes most effectively. Four Computer Science departments have created codes, and a new cipher released each week.

Dates of Ciphers

• University of Bristol (Available to play: Mon 21 Jan  – Sunday 27 Jan)

• University of Birmingham (Available to play:  Mon 28 Jan  – Sunday 3 Feb)

• UCL (Available to play: Mon 4 Feb – Sunday 10 Feb)

• Edinburgh Napier University (Available to play: Mon 11 Feb – Sunday 17 Feb)

How to play

• Register with the Challenge using your university email – https://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk/registration/

• Download the latest Cipher

• If you successfully crack a code, send your answers and how you cracked it to: universitycipher@cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk

• Discuss the competition on Twitter. Their username is @cyberchallenge and the hashtag is #4x4Cipher