More Than 1,000 Teams Entered in Cyber Security Challenge

  • By Mike Hohenbrink
  • 10/17/11

A new record of more than 1,000 teams will compete in CyberPatriot IV, a high school-level cyber security challenge that asks students to defend against computer threat scenarios.

Registration closed October 8 after drawing entrants from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and United States Department of Defense Dependent Schools overseas. This year, 1,019 teams are competing, up from 660 teams taking part last year.

"The reception to CyberPatriot IV has exceeded all previous competitions, and we are incredibly thrilled to see this great number of educators and students excited about this year's competition," said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot commissioner. "Over the next few months, these young competitors will learn the basics of cyber security in a competitive environment, while also developing skills in teamwork and critical thinking. This will surely be another exciting season."

The competition will get underway with the preliminary online round of competition for the all service division, open to Civil Air Patrol (CAP) units and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) units, kicking off on October 28. The open division, for accredited public or private institutions or registered home school associations, will begin its preliminary round November 4.

Teams enrolled in the competition consist of two to five students and up to five alternates. Competitors must be high school students and at least 13 years old. During each round, teams are faced with network threats that they must address. The competition is run by the Air Force Association (AFA) and is designed to introduce students to possible careers in cyber security as part of the U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC).

In addition to the hands-on experience all entrants receive, top competitors will win a free trip to the national finals competition March 22-23 in National Harbor, MD.

The schedule for teams in the all service division is:

  • Round 1--October 28-29;
  • Round 2--December 2-3; and
  • Round 3--January 13-14.

The schedule for teams in the open division is:

  • Round 1--November 4-5;
  • Round 2--December 16-17; and
  • Round 3--January 27-28.

More information is available at uscyberpatriot.org.

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