Air Force Association Names 28 Finalist Teams in Cyber Defense Competition

The Air Force Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting "public understanding of aerospace power and national defense," has named 28 high school student teams selected to advance to the CyberPatriot V National Finals Competition, a national cyber defense contest. Advancing schools are located in Alabama, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.

The competition, which is intended to urge students to venture into careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, drew 1,200 applications from all 50 states, and United States Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Canada, the Pacific, and Europe. The contest provided options for two tracks: The Open Division is for public, private, parochial, and home school teams, and the All Service Division is for Junior ROTC, US Naval Sea Cadet Corps squadrons, and Civil Air Patrol squadrons.

The open division teams that will be advancing include:

Service teams earning advancement include:

For all three rounds of the competition, students had to find vulnerabilities to Windows or GNU/Linux operating systems on one to three virtual machines. The teams that found the most vulnerabilities advanced to the next round. CyberPatriot V held its semifinal round January 11-12, at which participating teams were tasked with strengthening computer networks to prevent them from being attacked by viruses, and other threats.

Advancing teams will attend the CyberPatriot National Finals Competition in the nation's capital March 14-16. The contest will use SAIC's CyberNEXS cyber training and exercise model, and Cisco will host a networking event at which teams will be evaluated on "their ability to operate and secure a basic network."

Pre-registration is available now for the 2014 CyberPatriot VI contest at uscyberpatriot.org.

For more information, visit uscyberpatriot.org.

About the Author

Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @editortim.

Featured

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.

  • computer monitor with a bold AI search bar on the screen

    Google Rolls Out AI Mode in Search

    About a year after introducing AI Overviews for its flagship search offering, Google has announced broad availability of AI Mode in Search.

  • portable Wi-Fi hotspot rests on a stack of books and a laptop in a library

    Senate Votes to Rescind E-Rate Program Funding Loaner WiFi Hotspots for Schools and Libraries

    The Senate has passed a joint resolution to overturn "Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program," a July 2024 expansion to the FCC's E-Rate program that allowed schools and libraries to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out WiFi hotspots to students, school staff, and library patrons.

  • silhouetted student stands before the White House, surrounded by abstract digital graphics of brains, circuits, and AI elements

    White House Sets Sights on AI Education

    A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to advance America's position in artificial intelligence technology by incorporating AI into education and providing AI training for educators.