UVU cybersecurity students take second place at regional competition

University Marketing & Communications: Layton Shumway | 801-863-6863 | [email protected]

A team of Utah Valley University cybersecurity students placed second out of 10 teams at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in Denver on March 10-11. The competition is one of 10 regional qualifiers for the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

“Our team made a very strong showing,” said UVU cybersecurity program director Robert Jorgensen. “The fact that this is the first year UVU has competed makes this achievement even more impressive.”

The competition requires student teams to take on administrative and protective duties for an existing “commercial” network, usually with about 50 users, 7-10 servers, and common Internet services. Teams begin with identical sets of hardware and software and are scored on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services, respond to business requests, and balance security needs against business needs. A volunteer “red team” provides an external threat and allows teams to defend against live opponents.

Jorgensen praised the efforts of UVU assistant professor Basil Hamdan and UVU Cybersecurity Club president Austin Larsen in preparing for the competition.

“Dr. Hamdan and Austin Larsen did a fantastic job of organizing the team and holding evening and weekend practice sessions over the last two months to prepare,” Jorgensen said.

UVU offers multiple classes and degrees related to cybersecurity, including a graduate certificate, and starting in Fall 2017, the University will offer a Master of Science in Cybersecurity. This program is designed to provide students with advanced technical and managerial knowledge of cybersecurity, preparing them for senior technical and leadership roles in the field.

For more information, contact Robert Jorgensen at [email protected] or 801-863-5282.

Fourth region (Section 1)