Mauritian Students Win Big at IETF 123 with Innovative AI Projects

At the IETF 123 conference held in Madrid from July 19 to 25, two young Mauritian students made their country proud. Poshan Peeroo and Atish Joottun, both members of Cyberstorm.mu and students at the University of Mauritius, participated remotely in the event’s Hackathon, showcasing projects that earned international recognition.

Atish Joottun, 21 years old, was named a “Technology Champion” by Cloudflare engineers for his work on artificial intelligence (AI).

He is currently in his third year studying for a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science. His project focuses on authenticating AI bots to ensure they identify themselves when browsing websites.

This helps prevent bots from impersonating humans, protecting content creators’ rights and intellectual property.

“Atish’s goal is to make sure AI bots clearly identify themselves, which allows content creators to safeguard their work,” said his team.

The project also aims to reduce unauthorized bots on the internet, easing server loads and enabling more accurate traffic analysis, similar to what is seen on Cloudflare Radar.

Atish explained that his project was developed through his personal interest in AI.

His work caught the attention of Cloudflare engineers, who invited him to collaborate on the project for IETF 123. He worked with Cloudflare engineer Thibault Meunier and contributor Tony Vlček.

Poshan Peeroo also participated in the event, supported by three friends in his project efforts.

Both students have been active in Cyberstorm.mu for two years, contributing to innovative internet solutions. Their participation highlights the growing talent of Mauritius’s youth in the tech field.

Poshan Peeroo, 22 years old and a member of Cyberstorm.mu, is actively involved in open-source projects. He is working on strengthening the OpenShield firewall by adding support for TLS 1.3, along with post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and suites.

This update aims to improve the security of communication between AI systems. Peeroo is also a third-year student studying for a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science at the University of Mauritius.

Recently, he collaborated with three new team members—Nakul Baboolall, Kushan Gangaram, and Sehun Bissessur—to test the project’s code.

Peeroo emphasizes that their work ensures Cyberstorm.mu’s contributions meet open-source and IETF community standards.

Peeroo chose this project because AI security is becoming increasingly critical. Current cryptographic protocols like TLS 1.2 are no longer sufficient to counter threats posed by quantum computing.

By integrating post-quantum algorithms into OpenShield, an open-source solution, the team aims to make AI communications more resilient against attacks such as “prompt injection.”

This effort also supports the development of global internet standards that have a wide impact.

The goal is to future-proof OpenShield against emerging threats, especially those from quantum computers capable of breaking existing protections. Using TLS 1.3, the project offers faster, more secure, and more reliable data exchanges.

By adhering to international standards set by the IETF, Peeroo’s project promotes sustainable security and boosts trust in AI technologies, which are key to the future of tech.

Peeroo has previously participated in an IETF Hackathon with Cyberstorm.mu, contributing to features like DNSSEC (security extensions for the Domain Name System aligned with the Trust Anchor 2026) and ssh-audit (a tool for analyzing SSH server security).

He credits Cyberstorm.mu’s support for his ongoing involvement in IETF activities. “Thanks to Cyberstorm.mu, I’ve been able to work on projects that impact global internet standards.

The team has guided me through each step,” he says.

It’s worth noting that the Resilient and Innovative Computing Research Group at the University of Mauritius works closely with Cyberstorm.mu, fostering a strong collaboration on cutting-edge projects.

What is the IETF?
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an international community of engineers, researchers, and experts dedicated to developing open standards for the internet.

Its goal is to create protocols, norms, and best practices that ensure the internet functions smoothly, securely, and interoperably worldwide.

The IETF hosts global meetings where specialists collaborate on projects related to cybersecurity, internet performance, open-source development, network protocols, and security standards.

Recently, the IETF has also begun working on standardizing artificial intelligence technologies.

Source: Defi Media