From Cyber Competition to Real-World Defense

Both brothers turned their meaningful time at 麻豆原创 into high-impact careers protecting critical systems. Martin leads the security engineering program at workforce management company Fountain, while Michael oversees cybersecurity efforts at Abbott Diabetes Care.

鈥淚 stayed interested in cybersecurity because it was also about safeguarding people, privacy and trust,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淭hat sense of purpose in protecting people is what has kept me motivated. I am now responsible for protecting medical devices, some of the technology people most rely on in their everyday lives.鈥�

Where Purpose Took Shape

That purpose was developed at 麻豆原创, where the Roberts brothers solidified their career paths through the renowned Collegiate Cyber Defense Club 鈥� better known as Hack@麻豆原创. The student-led organization became a launchpad, sharpening their technical skills through high-stakes competitions and invaluable collaboration. As Hack@麻豆原创 stacked up championship after championship, university and industry partners doubled down on their support. In 2019, Lockheed Martin helped establish the Innovation Cyber Lab 鈥� a 970-square-foot dedicated practice space located in the Engineering I building 鈥� providing the team with a home base.

“These competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.”聽鈥� Martin Roberts 鈥�20 鈥�22MS

鈥溌槎乖� gave us the space to experiment, to fail and to grow. The university鈥檚 investment in cybersecurity infrastructure and student-led initiatives made it possible for us to compete 鈥� and win 鈥� on a national level,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淣ot every university is willing to dedicate space and resources for a team to compete, so I am grateful to 麻豆原创 for doing so.鈥�

The brothers also lauded computer science instructor Tom Nedorost 鈥�02惭厂, Hack@麻豆原创鈥檚 faculty advisor and a longtime collegiate cybersecurity competition (C3) coach, for his contributions to the programs. Nedorost was there from the beginning, when students officially formed the club in Spring 2013.

鈥溌槎乖� participating in these competitions is only possible because of the dedication from our team鈥檚 faculty advisor, Dr. Nedorost,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淭hese competitions helped me advance my skillset, gain real-world experience and make connections across the industry.鈥�

Building Team-Ready Talent

Today, Michael鈥檚 role at Abbott includes recruiting, and he鈥檚 actively bringing fellow Knights with him. He has hired several Hack@麻豆原创 alumni and says they possess a rare combination of technical depth and operational maturity, and that they share a strong bond from defending networks together in competitions.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been battle-tested in competitions, but they also know how to work in teams, communicate risk and adapt quickly,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淭hey know how to follow a playbook and how to innovate when a playbook doesn鈥檛 work. It鈥檚 difficult to teach that initiative and resourcefulness, so we look to hire those who already have it.鈥�

Giving Back to What Gave Them a Start

Both brothers remain actively involved at 麻豆原创 and are passionate about giving back as alumni.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to stay involved in this way, and I recommend this to more alumni,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚鈥檓 only where I鈥檓 at today because of technical mentors who took the time to help train me up at the high school and the collegiate level.鈥�

Martin emphasizes that success in cybersecurity goes far beyond the classroom. Experiences like competing on cybersecurity teams are essential for any student pursuing the field. He encourages students to cultivate interests outside of the classroom and to pursue multiple internships to gain more hands-on experience.

鈥淭he students that excel are the ones that dedicate the most time to bettering themselves and the people around them,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淭hose are the kinds of students who make it on the C3 team and excel in their careers after they graduate. So if you鈥檙e a student reading this with cybersecurity as an interest, find a niche and become really good at it.鈥�

“I will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same.” 鈥� Michael Roberts 鈥�19 鈥�21MS

While Hack@麻豆原创鈥檚 trophy case already tells an impressive story, Michael says the best is yet to come 鈥� and he and his brother plan to be there every step of the way.

鈥淥ur best days of C3 aren鈥檛 behind us; they are in front of us,鈥� Michael says. 鈥淎nd I talk about myself as part of C3 in the present tense because it is still a part of who I am, and I intend for it always to be. I will continue to give back to the program and help it improve, and I hope more alumni do the same. I am excited about the future of the program, and proud to be a part of it.鈥�

“I researched the past winners and saw 麻豆原创’s history of dominance. I knew I wanted to go here and work with the best.” 鈥� Harrison Keating 鈥�24, student

Harrison Keating 鈥�24, who earned his bachelor鈥檚 in computer science in May, and is now enrolled as a master鈥檚 student in cyber security and privacy, won dozens of competitions for 麻豆原创. At the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) in April, he served as team captain of a 麻豆原创 team, which recently defeated nine other regional champions in the largest collegiate competition of its kind in the nation. The team won 麻豆原创’s record sixth national championship in San Antonio and the Alamo Cup trophy in April this year.

“I had been interested in cybersecurity competitions for a long time,” says Harrison, who is from St. Augustine, Florida. “When I learned about the NCCDC 鈥� the most prestigious cyber defense competition in the U.S. 鈥� I researched the past winners and saw 麻豆原创’s history of dominance. I knew I wanted to go here and work with the best. Being geographically close to home helped too, but after visiting as a high schooler and attending several Hack@麻豆原创 club meetings, I was hooked. That active, passionate student community around cybersecurity is really what drew me in.”

A Dynasty of Champions

麻豆原创鈥檚 cybersecurity program is not just about classroom learning 鈥� it鈥檚 about real-world success and a dominant force in collegiate cyber sports.

The most recent victory, winning the NCCDC, often dubbed the “Super Bowl” of cybersecurity competitions, a record six times, further cemented 麻豆原创’s status as a dynasty in the world of competitive cyber competitions.

Overall, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team is the nation鈥檚 best collegiate cybersecurity competition team, winning a total of 12 national championships since 2014.

The 麻豆原创 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team members are all members of larger Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (also known as Hack@麻豆原创), which has grown exponentially as a club in the past few years. Club membership has nearly doubled over the past four years from 210 active student members in 2020 to a record 406 active members by the end of the 2023-24 school year. The 2024-2025 school year is off to a great start with over 350 students joining the club within the first month of the school year.

鈥淲ith our successful track record in the [NCCDC] and other cyber competitions over the years, it鈥檚 an undeniable fact that 麻豆原创 has the best cyber program, best students and best coaches in the nation,鈥� says Professor of Computer Science Tom Nedorost 鈥�02惭厂, who is head coach of the team.

鈥淲ith our successful track record in the [NCCDC] and other cyber competitions over the years, it鈥檚 an undeniable fact that 麻豆原创 has the best cyber program, best students and best coaches in the nation.鈥� 鈥� Tom Nedorost 鈥�02惭厂, professor and Hack@麻豆原创 coach

The team鈥檚 success is no accident. 麻豆原创鈥檚 competitive edge stems from a comprehensive and hands-on approach to cybersecurity education. Students engage in complex scenarios that mimic real-life cyber threats, requiring them to protect networks and systems from simulated attacks. This immersive learning model sharpens their skills, prepares them for high-stakes situations and gives them a significant advantage when entering the workforce.

“Unfortunately, cybercrime is profitable,” Keating says. “There’s a growing industry of ransomware attacks that hold entire companies and their customers’ data hostage. We know that 60% of small to medium businesses have experienced at least one cyber attack. It’s everybody’s problem at this point … in world of social media, online banking and cloud storage, everyone is connected to the Internet in some way. It can all be hacked; it’s inescapable now.”

According to Cyberseek.org, there are nearly 470,000 open cybersecurity positions available today in the United States including 23,424 open positions within Florida. The national number of individuals employed in cyber careers has increased by 55% since 2010 while the number of cyber job openings has increased by 69%.聽 In Florida alone, the number of individuals employed in cyber careers has increased by 67% since 2010 while the number of cyber job openings has increased by 80%.聽 Within Florida, the highest concentrations of cyber opportunities are in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater; Orlando-Kissimmee; West Palm Beach-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami; and Jacksonville.

Harrison has a drive that fits the ever-evolving landscape of his field of study. He has completed internships as a security engineer with Core & Main, and as a network engineer with IBM Research. In addition to his master’s coursework and preparing for upcoming competitions, Harrison is employed full-time as a Cybersecurity Engineer at Abbott Laboratories, on a team comprised mostly of 麻豆原创 and C3 alumni. He also found ways to pursue his interest in the business side of cybersecurity, including a first place finish in 麻豆原创’s Joust New Venture Competition last spring.

Collaboration and Competition

Last fall, Harrison founded and served as the competition director for the inaugural Horse Plinko Cyber Challenge, a fun and educational cyber contest designed for beginning cybersecurity students. The competition is returning this fall Oct. 5-6 鈥� this time with over 200 registered participants. This event is 100% student-run and provides students with an entry point into the competitive and valuable experiences they need to compete on teams like his and ultimately pursue careers in cybersecurity 鈥� which is sorely needed, as cybercriminals extorted a record $1.1 billion last year.

鈥淐ompeting on 麻豆原创鈥檚 cybersecurity team was probably the best decision I鈥檝e made since joining 麻豆原创,鈥� says Matthew McKeever 鈥�24, who earned his bachelors in computer science and has also returned for a master鈥檚 degree in cyber security and privacy, after interning at Microsoft security group, where a job offer has been extended for him to join.

鈥淐ompeting on 麻豆原创鈥檚 cybersecurity team was probably the best decision I鈥檝e made since joining 麻豆原创.鈥� 鈥� Matthew McKeever 鈥�24, student

鈥淐ompeting has taught me topics and concepts you learn in class but 鈥� I would say that competitions are more valuable than the classes you take. Companies sometimes view competition experience as working experience,鈥� McKeever says.

After winning the NCCDC, the 麻豆原创 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team was invited by Nightwing, an intelligence services company and sponsor of the largest collegiate-level cyber competition, to meet cyber professionals in the public sector who are charged with securing the nation against cyber adversaries. The 麻豆原创 team and their coach, Nedorost, visited the Pentagon, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Secret Service, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center, the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol.

Meeting the group at the Pentagon was Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. She welcomed the students and informed them of the types of career opportunities available for cybersecurity professionals at the U.S. Department of Defense.

At the CIA, the students toured the Cyber Operations Center and spoke with recently hired CIA cyber professionals about their career experience. Visiting the U.S. Secret Service, students learned that the original purpose of the agency was to investigate counterfeit currency. While that purpose is still part of the mission, the agency is involved in all types of counterfeit activities, including falsified documents and signatures, as well as providing protective services for U.S. political figures, their families and visiting heads of state or government.

Securing a Future in the Digital Age

For students passionate about cybersecurity, 麻豆原创 offers more than just an education 鈥� it provides a pathway to a successful and impactful career. Whether aiming to defend networks, protect critical infrastructure, or contribute to the global fight against cybercrime, 麻豆原创 is the place to sharpen skills, compete with the best and launch a thriving career.

With a winning tradition, cutting-edge curriculum and real-world training that industry recruiters notice, 麻豆原创 stands out as the leader in cybersecurity education.

More than 2,100 competitors from 198 schools participated in events across the country during NCCDC regional events, with the top 10 teams advancing to the national championship.

As one of the nation’s largest collegiate competitions of its kind, this year鈥檚 NCCDC tasked competitors with the scenario of managing, operating and defending the network infrastructure of a human resource outsourcing firm while responding to business tasks, customers, and fending off a group of live Red Team hackers.

鈥淲ith our successful track record in the National CCDC and other cyber competitions over the years, it鈥檚 an undeniable fact that 麻豆原创 has the best cyber program, best students, and best coaches in the nation,鈥� said Professor Tom Nedorost, head coach of the team.

The competition鈥檚 unique focus on operational aspects of managing and protecting a network infrastructure is designed to assess each student鈥檚 depth of understanding and operational competency. The NCCDC is more than just a competitive environment though, as hundreds of volunteers work closely with participating competitors throughout the year to help develop their professional networks and provide mentorship.

Through these competitions, students gain skills and real-world experiences that make them highly attractive to potential employers.

It was this specific competition that led Harrison Keating to 麻豆原创. As a high school student in St. Augustine, Florida, he enjoyed building websites and began looking at the competitions held at the college level. When he realized that 麻豆原创 had a track record of winning them, he made sure that his campus visit to 麻豆原创 included a stop at the Hack@麻豆原创 cybersecurity club. He enrolled, and landed a spot as an alternate on the team that he now leads as captain.

鈥淭he NCCDC is a two-day event,鈥� Keating said. 鈥淎t the beginning of day two, we were in third in one category and didn鈥檛 place in the other three. At that point, victory didn鈥檛 seem to be a possibility, Morale was low, but the team did an amazing job to find the silver lining, persevere and figuring out a way to improve in day two. Going from that position to national champions in a day was an incredible testament to the team鈥檚 determination.鈥�

Keating and several of the team members will graduate this week in commencement ceremonies at 麻豆原创.

鈥淭he scenario we developed for this elite group of students is very realistic,鈥� said Dwayne Williams, Director of the NCCDC and associate director at the CIAS. 鈥淭he primary challenge this year is securing large amounts of personally identifiable information across different industries and states, but also dealing with a company acquisition while being targeted by bad actors. These unique challenges and hands-on experiences help each of these teams prepare for the real-world scenarios they will face after graduation.鈥�

鈥淚 looked over all the big-name universities and saw that they didn鈥檛 have a good cybersecurity offering or any clubs for their undergraduates,鈥� says Magill, now a 20-year-old honors information technology student and Burnett Honors Scholar. 鈥淭hen I reached out to 麻豆原创 and learned about one of the biggest and best cybersecurity clubs and collegiate teams in all the United States. That was the selling point for me.鈥�

Thanks to Magill and 406 of his classmates who are current members, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club at 麻豆原创 has been sending teams of students around the world to cash in on tournaments at the expense of some of the leading universities in the United States. The latest list of first-place honors for Hack@麻豆原创 鈥� as it is more informally known 鈥� includes the 2024 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, 2024 Information Security Talent Search (ISTS) competition hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology; the National Centers for Academic Excellence (NCAE) Cyber Games Southeast Regional, in Tampa; the CAE Virtual Internship and Varied Innovative Demonstrations (VIVID) competition qualifier; and the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC).

In all, 麻豆原创 cybersecurity teams have earned 87 first place awards 鈥� including five NCCDC titles 鈥� 29 second-place and 25 third-place awards. The competitions, which allow 麻豆原创 students to sharpen and display their skills before cybersecurity professionals, are hosted by companies from private industry, such as Cyberbit, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Raymond James, and Raytheon and federal agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Energy, National Security Agency and Air Force.

Although each competition is different, student teams are typically asked to solve real-world cybersecurity challenges, such as networking, system administration, reverse engineering, cryptography, hacking, programming and forensics, in real-time.

鈥淭hese companies or government agencies are banking on the fact that schools send their best teams of students to these competitions,鈥� says Thomas Nedorost, an associate instructor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the club鈥檚 faculty advisor since 2013 when it was formed by one student who wanted a chance to compete. 鈥淚t is a recruiting event for them. They get to see the best students from each of the schools that are invited to participate.鈥�

Expectations Exceeded

In 2013, Jonathan Singer 鈥�13 was a 麻豆原创 senior information technology student who was intent on making a name for himself when he approached Nedorost about obtaining grant funding. When the conversation quickly turned from trying to earn money to having some fun, the idea to start a cybersecurity club and team at 麻豆原创 was born. The first club meeting exceeded expectations, attracting 86 students who had a strong interest in cybersecurity.

鈥淪ome of the most talented 麻豆原创 students started to come out of the woodwork,鈥� says

Singer, a cybersecurity consultant for Virginia-based GuidePoint Security. 鈥淚 thought I was cool because I already had some industry experience, but the students that came to our first meetings were some of the most incredible and brilliant people I鈥檝e ever met in my life.鈥�

From those early meetings, word spread. Students from all disciplines began to take an interest in the club. Competitions expanded the club鈥檚 presence internationally. Today, Hack@麻豆原创 is a juggernaut, featuring four students who have been drafted to the prestigious U.S. Cyber Team.

Recruiting Vehicle

Not only does Hack@麻豆原创 participate in competitions worldwide 鈥� exposing members to internships, job opportunities, the chance to travel and scholarship money 鈥� it invites experts from major companies to campus to discuss the latest trends in offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies. The workshops the club conducts on campus, in the community and at high schools are a huge recruiting vehicle to attract top students with strong aptitudes and an interest in cybersecurity to 麻豆原创.

鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed being with the club 鈥� it鈥檚 my favorite thing to do at 麻豆原创,鈥� says senior Harrison Keating, the team鈥檚 captain who first learned of 麻豆原创 due to the club鈥檚 participation in a collegiate cybersecurity competition. 鈥淏efore I decided on 麻豆原创, I got a chance to attend a few club meetings and I was pretty much hooked from there.鈥�

Keating says to sustain a top-rated cyber team requires as much as 20 hours of practice a week, which, for many club members, is compounded by classwork, internships, part-time employment and weekend competitions. It also demands financial support to cover competition registration fees, travel expenses, training materials, uniforms and out-of-state tuition waivers to recruit high-potential students to the team.

Labor Shortages

Companies, including Lockheed Martin, Harris, Northrup Grumman and Raytheon, that routinely hire 麻豆原创students as cybersecurity engineers and analysts, penetration testers, and developers have made donations in the past to offset those costs. Given the national shortage in cybersecurity talent, it is in the best interest of others to do so as well.

Support for Hack @ 麻豆原创 helps to groom tomorrow鈥檚 workforce and increase the ranks of trained cyber professionals. To get involved, please contact Thomas Bolick, 407-823-0125; Thomas.Bolick@ucf.edu.

In the United States, the cybersecurity workforce boasts more than 1,178,662 jobs 鈥� with around 572,392 of them yet to be filled, according to CyberSeek, a project supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

鈥淐yberattacks can have serious consequences on just about everything 鈥� from the power grid to defense systems to our personal information,鈥� Nedorost says. 鈥淚t is imperative that organizations 鈥� industry and government 鈥� and concerned citizens continue to invest in developing new talent and cybersecurity programs at the university level to ensure tomorrow鈥檚 professionals have the essential skills to navigate these constantly evolving threats.鈥�

Senior computer science major Matthew McKeever and cyber security and privacy graduate student Jeffrey DiVincent 鈥�23 will help represent the U.S. as two of the 30 members on this year鈥檚 team, which will compete worldwide in various cyber competition formats, including capture the flag, red vs. blue and hardware challenges. This is the second time McKeever has made the team.

麻豆原创 is one of 15 schools who have members on the U.S. Cyber Team this year. The other universities with recruited team members include Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, George Mason University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University.

Like any elite athlete, the draftees earned recognition for their talents in the same way 鈥� by demonstrating their prowess at numerous cybersecurity competitions, from stateside regional contests to competitions on the world stage.

鈥淭he Cyber Games play a strategic role in preparing our cybersecurity workforce for a highly dynamic future created by digital innovations such as AI, quantum technologies or biotech,鈥� said U.S. Cyber Games Commissioner Jessica Gulick in a release. 鈥淎s we enter our third season, the caliber of cyber talent is advancing, enabling our program to evolve from skills-based to helping athletes practice rapid triage, cognitive endurance, situational awareness and teamwork.鈥�

Both McKeever and DiVincent are members of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition (C3) team, and placed first in the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 CyberForce Competition over the weekend. They are also members of student organization Hack@麻豆原创 and students in the Burnett Honors College.

McKeever, who formerly served as a red team vs. blue team specialist, was recruited as a binary exploitation specialist and is charged with uncovering program vulnerabilities and using them to his team鈥檚 advantage. He is one of 17 veterans on the U.S. team, and was drafted last year along with two other 麻豆原创 C3 team members, siblings Caitlin and Cameron Whitehead.

鈥淢eeting and interacting with the various countries at the competition was enlightening, learning their culture and socializing in general, but more importantly, fun,鈥� he says of his experiences last year. 鈥淓veryone was extremely talented and respectful, but also competitive. Overall, it was an amazing experience competing internationally. I learned a lot in cybersecurity and met and befriended many talented cybersecurity experts from across the world.鈥�

DiVincent, a first-time member of the U.S. Cyber Team, says he had a feeling he might get selected.

鈥淚 had a sneaking suspicion that I was going to be drafted. The coach that interviewed me was at the Raymond James Capture the Flag cybersecurity challenge I did a few weeks back, and she was super excited to see me and even asked for a selfie,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut when I officially found out, I was in class, learning about AI, when I just started getting flooded with congratulatory messages. It was surreal.鈥�

Though he is new to the national team, DiVincent has already competed on an international level as a member of the 麻豆原创 C3 team this year.

鈥淭he two things I am most excited about are the ability to learn from some of the county’s best young minds and getting to travel around the world. I love learning, and I love seeing the world,鈥� DiVincent says.

C3 team members have a rigorous training regimen, often putting in hours on weeknights and weekends and traveling to competitions on top of their academic responsibilities. Their coach and associate instructor Tom Nedorost says the team is no stranger to good old fashioned hard work and is committed to practicing, learning and challenging themselves to continually improve.

鈥溌槎乖� is recognized as a cybersecurity powerhouse far beyond campus due to our performance record in multiple cyber competitions every year,鈥� Nedorost says. 鈥淲e compete in more competitions and practice together as a team than other schools. overall, Over the past 12 years, we鈥檝e brought home 80 first place, 24 second place and 23 third place awards to date.鈥�

Also competing in the in-person competition in St. Charles, Illinois, another team of 麻豆原创 students took fourth place. Each team included six students, many of whom are studying computer science, cyber security and privacy, digital forensics and information technology.

CyberForce addresses the U.S. government鈥檚 goal to promote cybersecurity workforce development by helping to build a pipeline of cyber professional candidates to enter the operational technology cybersecurity workforce.

鈥淐yberForce helps our students strengthen the skills and confidence they need to be thoroughly prepared for successful careers after they graduate,鈥� says the team鈥檚 faculty advisor and head coach Tom Nedorost.

Proof that the 麻豆原创 students are prepared to become key players in the industry of cybersecurity, this year鈥檚 competitors have interned with such firms as Amazon, IBM, KPMG, Palo Alto Networks, Planate and Texas Instruments, and many are on pace to continue working for them after graduation.

麻豆原创 is a聽powerhouse for cyber defense programs聽and is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research. In 2021, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded a $2.9 million grant to provide cybersecurity scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. 麻豆原创 also houses a Cyber Security and Privacy Research Faculty Cluster Initiative, which examines a breadth of interdisciplinary areas.

The CyberForce Competition is sponsored by the DOE鈥檚 Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). It started in 2016 to provide students with hands-on cybersecurity experience through interactive, energy cyber-focused scenarios.

In an increasingly digitized world, a skilled cybersecurity workforce becomes even more valuable to industry and the U.S. energy sector.

The Collegiate Cyber Defense Club at 麻豆原创, known as Hack@麻豆原创, boasts 312 members.

The annual CyberForce Competition uses a hands-on security approach to engage students in emergency scenarios, and challenges students to safeguard the nation鈥檚 critical energy sector. This year, the scenario involved students working for a distributed energy resource (DER) management company.

This year鈥檚 winning teams consisted of the following students:

Team A 聽(first place)
Jeffrey DiVincent 鈥�23 (team captain)
Zachary Groome
Matthew McKeever
Caitlin Whitehead
Cameron Whitehead
Caleb Wisley

Team B 聽(fourth place)
Harrison Keating (team captain)
Milo Gilad
Colton Knight
Noah Magill
Caleb Sjostedt
Andrew Terry

Whitehead, who is studying for his master鈥檚 degree in digital forensics, recently placed second out of 688 competitors in the , the first qualifying step to join the team. The top 60 finishers will square off next in the upcoming virtual U.S. Cyber Combine Invitational, which will determine the national team to advance to the international event.

鈥淭he process is very similar to selecting a dream team to compete in the Olympics,鈥� says Tom Nedorost 鈥�02惭厂, faculty advisor for the student cybersecurity club, .

鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in programming and computers since I first got access to them as a kid,鈥� says Whitehead of Lake Mary, Florida. 鈥淭his eventually led me into cyber security specifically, which to me was far more exciting than programming. It is a fascinating field that brings together concepts as different as abstract algebra, which is vital in modern cryptography, and management processes that ensure that programmers write secure code.鈥�

The International Cyber Security Challenge will be hosted by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.

The International Cyber Security Challenge will be hosted by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity as a part of a promotion to raise awareness about cybersecurity. The U.S. team selection is being overseen by the company Katzcy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In this first virtual round from his home, Whitehead says he had to solve a variety of problems, such as finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in websites, breaking encryption systems to read hidden messages, reverse engineering software, and analyzing a forensic copy of a mobile phone. 鈥淭he big challenge was completing these challenges as fast as possible, since it was a race to see who would complete them all first and lock in the top places,鈥� he says.

In the next round of tests, Nedorost says the U.S. Cyber Games head coach will put the competitors through a series of challenges to further assess their knowledge and skills before selecting 20 for the first U.S. Cyber Team.

Whitehead鈥檚 sister, Caitlin, also studying for her master鈥檚 in digital forensics, finished in the top 20 of the recent competition. Nedorost says she likely would be invited to compete in the next round, too.

Whitehead says much of his competition success is because of the mentoring and assistance of many of the students and alumni at the Hack@麻豆原创 club on campus. He encourages anyone interested in competing or learning more about cyber security to join the club.

Nedorost says that since the U.S. Cyber Games is a new competition this year, he had very little information to share with students about how to prepare.

鈥淚 simply forwarded an email advertisement promoting the U.S. Cyber Games to Hack@麻豆原创 club members and encouraged students to register if they wanted to compete,鈥� he says.

Whitehead says 鈥渢o do well in competitions, you have to compete in competitions, and that often includes losing. While I don鈥檛 always do well, I always learn something new that I can take into the next competition.鈥�

After graduation planned for 2024, Whitehead says he鈥檇 like to start his own cyber security firm, perhaps with a focus on digital forensics incident response.

The team hopes to regain the national title after having won the championship three consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016) and finishing as runner-up the past three years (2018, 2019, 2020).

In a tune-up competition two weeks ago, 麻豆原创 finished second at the Maryland Cyber Challenge hosted by the University of Maryland Global Campus.

The April 23-25 national competition, which is the highest visibility competition for the team each year, had been scheduled to be held in San Antonio, Texas, but the pandemic forced the event to go virtual.

鈥淭he pandemic has severely impacted cyber competitions this academic year,鈥� says Tom Nedorost 鈥�02惭厂, the team鈥檚 coach and faculty advisor for the student cybersecurity club, Hack@麻豆原创. 鈥淕oing into this academic year, I knew six of my eight returning team members would graduate this year.聽Recruiting talented new students last August was a tremendous challenge considering our campus was locked down.鈥�

Training has been difficult this year since most of it has been conducted remotely.

Training has also been difficult this year since most of it has been conducted remotely, he says. Teams typically compete from one location, but this year in the virtual competitions, team members had to learn to communicate effectively with each other while competing from home and simultaneously working on multiple tasks to detect and defend computer networks from outside threats.

鈥淭his led to rule changes which made this year鈥檚 competition even more challenging,鈥� Nedorost says.

The eight team members headed to the national competition are: Michael Roberts 鈥�19, a graduate student and team captain from Winter Springs, Florida, who has been on the team five years; twin brother Martin Roberts 鈥�20, a graduate student from Winter Springs; Alexander Cote, co-captain from Monroe, Michigan; Michael Troisi from St. Cloud, Florida; Nelson Torres from Orlando; Kai Garcia from Winter Springs; Aiden Durand from Charleston, South Carolina; and Christopher Fischer from Orlando.

鈥淭he team members and I are anxiously looking forward to the time where we鈥檒l be able to compete on location with other schools,鈥� Nedorost says. 鈥淚 expect 麻豆原创 will continue to have a highly competitive cyber team well into the future.鈥�