UCF's Collegiate Cyber Defense team, part of Hack@UCF, defeated nine other regional champions to win the 2024 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) last weekend, winning a record sixth national We achieved victory. The team returned home with the Alamo Cup trophy at an event hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (UTSA).
During NCCDC's regional events, more than 2,100 competitors from 198 schools participated in events across the country, with the top 10 teams advancing to the national championship.
As one of the largest collegiate competitions of its kind in the country, this year's NCCDC will focus on managing, operating, and managing a human resources outsourcing company's network infrastructure while handling business tasks, serving customers, and fending off groups of live attackers. The contestants were given a scenario in which they had to defend themselves. Red team hacker.
“Given our long track record of success at the National CCDC and other cyber competitions, it is an undeniable fact that UCF has the best cyber program, best students, and best coaches in the nation.” said University head coach Professor Tom Nedrost. team.
This competition has a unique focus on the operational aspects of network infrastructure management and protection and is designed to assess each student's depth of understanding and operational ability. However, NCCDC is more than just a competitive environment. Hundreds of volunteers work closely with participating competitors throughout the year to help build professional networks and provide mentorship.
Through these competitions, students gain skills and real-world experience that are highly attractive to potential employers.
It was this particular sport that brought Harrison Keating to UCF. As a high school student in St. Augustine, Florida, he enjoyed building websites and began paying attention to competitions held at the collegiate level. When he realized that UCF had a winning track record, he made sure his campus visits to UCF included a stop at his Hack @ UCF Cybersecurity Club. He enrolled and earned a spot as an alternate on the team he now leads as captain.
“NCCDC is a two-day event,” Keating said. “At the start of the second day, we were in third place in one category, but not in the other three. At that point we didn't see any chance of victory and morale was low, but… , the team did a great job of finding the silver linings, persevering, and finding ways to improve on the second day. It was incredible the team's determination to go from that position to national champions in one day. It was proof of that.”
Keating and several team members will graduate this week at UCF's Commencement Ceremony.
“The scenario we have created for this elite group of students is very realistic,” said Dwayne Williams, NCCDC Director and CIAS Deputy Director. “The main challenge this year is to protect large amounts of personally identifiable information across a variety of industries and states, while also addressing corporate acquisitions that are being targeted by malicious actors. The unique challenges and hands-on experience will help each team prepare for the real-life scenarios they will face after graduation.”
