Month: October 2021

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It is Cyber Competition Time in Tennessee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(contact cerocmedia@tntech.edu, (931) 372-3519 for more information)
October 27, 2021

COOKEVILLE, TN – It is that time of year.  Leaves are changing color; the days are getting cooler; pumpkins are making their appearances around the area; and cyber competitions are in full swing.  Tennessee Tech Computer Science students and CyberEagles members have competed in three different competitions over the October 22 – 24, 2021 weekend. A total of 26 students competed in the National Cyber League (NCL) Competition Individual game, Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC), and Social Engineering Capture the Flag Competition (SECTF). There were also several students that competed in more than of these competitions.

Students from Tennessee Tech have always posted a good showing in both the individual and team games of NCL.  In past years, TNTech had a student place third in the nation and several in the top 10% of the individual game nationally.  Schools are ranked based on their top team performance, their top student’s individual performance, and the aggregate individual performance of their students.  While the Fall 2021 Individual Game stats have not been finalized at this time, history would suggest a strong finish.  During the Spring 2021 competition, TNTech ranked 10th overall in the nation ranking 8th in Teams, 40th in Individuals, and 14th in Participation.  Over 300 colleges and universities across the US participate in NCL.  Full results for the Spring 2021 competition can be found at https://cyberskyline.com/data/power-ranking/spring-2021-national.

Tennessee Tech was honored to host the CPTC United States Central region for the third year and participate in the competition for the fifth year. Like so many other events, COVID-19 has changed the way events are conducted. This year’s event was completely virtual with some participating teams having members working from different locations. It was truly a distributed event. The top winning team from this region will join the winners from the other CPTC regions around the world, which include Canada and the Middle East, for the international competition. Seven additional teams will be selected at large to compete in the international competition.  Participating in this event was team captain Kaitlyn Carroll, Austin Brown, Austin Tice, Jesse Holland, Jacob Sweeten, and John Housley.  Five members of the six-member team were CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (a program funded by the National Science Foundation) students.  The team posted a solid performance.  Dakota State took first place in the region moving to the next round.

This is the second year SECTF has been held. SECTF is hosted by Temple University’s Cybersecurity in Application, Research & Education (CARE) Lab and funded by NSF and sponsored by Google.  This competition challenges undergraduate students to gain first-hand cyberattack and cybersecurity experience by using social engineering prowess in a real-life scenario judged by industry professionals. This scenario focuses on four categories: Open-source intelligence (OSINT), Phishing, Vishing, and Reporting. This is the first year that Tennessee Tech has participated in SECTF, and we are proud to have placed 3rd.  TNTech participants include Mimi Vertrees, Mia Fisher, Hayden Keller, Colin Lafever, and Hallie Sevier.

“These types of competitions provide essential ‘out of classroom’ experiences which these students will need in the upcoming careers” noted Eric Brown, Assistant Director for CEROC. “The successful outcomes of these competition are a unique combination of the incredible students with which we interact every day, an excellent computer science program with the best overall cybersecurity program in the state, and professional growth provided by the peer mentoring opportunities afforded by CEROC. We say it often… our students are the life-blood of our center.”

About Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

CEROC at Tennessee Tech University, established under the direction of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, is a center of excellence in the College of Engineering focused on K-20 cybersecurity education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry.  CEROC is an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) and host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee.  CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity initiative, the largest of its type in the world focusing on enhancing diversity within the cybersecurity workforce.  More information about CEROC and its programs can be found at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by sending an email to ceroc@tntech.edu.

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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(contact ceroc@tntech.edu, (931) 372-3519 for more information)
October 27, 2021

COOKEVILLE, TN – Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.  Americans are spending more time online than ever before using more devices that ever before. As more people online services for shopping, banking, financial management, and socializing, they also expose themselves to increased cyber risks. Online threats and cyber-attacks threaten the future of our national and economic security. Because cybersecurity is important to our Nation, the Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech University has joined with the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency to raise cybersecurity awareness across the Nation during Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October.  CEROC is a 2021 Champion of the CSAM program.

Now in its 18th year, Cybersecurity Awareness Month focused on the tenants of Be Cyber Smart, Fight the Phish, Explore.Experience.Share., and Cybersecurity First.  The campaign stresses that cybersecurity is not simply a government and industry concern; cybersecurity starts at home.  This fact is especially true with a portion of the workforce permanently moving to “work at home” models.  Cybersecurity awareness begins from the moment that we pick up our smartphone and continues with every computer and kiosk that we use during the day to work, shop, eat, and play.

To celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, CEROC is sharing cybersecurity best practices throughout its social media, printed and broadcasted media, and other networks to encourage everyone to consider the role the individual plays in keeping our nation cyber aware and ready.  As a new addition to the center’s cyber awareness efforts, CEROC sponsored the “Adopt a Kin” campaign encouraging computer science students at Tennessee Tech to reach out to their parents and grandparents and have conversations (maybe even training times) about best cybersecurity practices.  These conversations can address social media uses, phishing awareness, or fraudulent calls seeking to scam the elderly via social engineering.

Consider some of the following cyber facts:

  • The average total cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million and took an average of 280 days to identify and contain.
  • The use of new breach techniques has boomed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 35% of breaches having leveraged new techniques in 2020.
  • 88% of data breaches are caused by human error.
  • 61% of data breaches used compromised credentials.
  • 56% of IT leaders believe their employees have picked up bad cybersecurity behaviors since working from home.
  • More than 99.9% of Microsoft enterprise accounts that get invaded by attackers didn’t use multi-factor authentication.
  • Phishing attacks account for more than 80% of reported security incidents.
  • 80% of companies say they have a hard time finding and hiring security talent.
  • By 2029, the cybersecurity job market is set to grow by 31%.
  • Global spending on cybersecurity is set to cross $60 billion in 2021.
  • The IoT (Internet of Things) market is anticipated to reach $1.1 trillion by 2026.

What can you do??

  • Enable stronger authentication. Always enable stronger authentication for an extra layer of security beyond the password that is available on most major email, social media and financial accounts. Stronger authentication (e.g., multi-factor authentication that can use a one-time code texted to a mobile device) helps verify that a user has authorized access to an online account. For more information about authentication, visit the Lock Down Your Login Campaign at www.lockdownyourlogin.org.
  • Make your passwords long & strong. Use complex passwords with a combination of numbers, symbols, and letters. Use unique passwords for different accounts. Change your passwords regularly, especially if you believe they have been compromised.
  • Keep a clean machine. Update the security software, operating system, and web browser on all of your Internet-connected devices. Keeping your security software up to date will prevent attackers from taking advantage of known vulnerabilities.
  • When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email and online posts are often the way cyber criminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious (even if you know the source), delete it.
  • Share with care. Limit the amount of personal information you share online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
  • Secure your Wi-Fi network. Your home’s wireless router is the primary entrance for cybercriminals to access all of your connected devices. Secure your Wi-Fi network, and your digital devices, by changing the factory-set default password and username.

Learn more about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and how to protect yourself from threats online at https://staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/.   Cyber safety resources can be found on the STC website at https://www.dhs.gov/about-stopthinkconnect.  As always, cyber resources addressing cyber safety, cyber curriculum for schools, and research can be found on CEROC’s website at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc.

About Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

CEROC at Tennessee Tech University, established under the direction of Dr. Ambareen Siraj, is a center of excellence in the College of Engineering focused on K-20 cybersecurity education programs; research in emerging cybersecurity topics; and outreach programs to stakeholders in academia, government and industry.  CEROC is an NSA-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) and host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee.  CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity initiative, the largest of its type in the world focusing on enhancing diversity within the cybersecurity workforce.  More information about CEROC and its programs can be found at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc or by sending an email to ceroc@tntech.edu.

About Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since the Presidential proclamation establishing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, the initiative has been formally recognized by Congress, federal, state and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/ .

About National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a nonprofit alliance on a mission to create a more secure connected world.  We enable powerful, public-private partnerships in our mission to educate and inspire individuals to protect themselves, their families and their organizations for the collective good.  Our primary partners are the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and our Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; AIG; Bank of America; Cofense; Discover; Eli Lilly and Company; ESET North America; Facebook; KnowBe4; La-Z-Boy; Lenovo; Marriott International; Mastercard; Microsoft; Mimecast; NortonLifeLock; Paubox; Proofpoint; Raytheon Intelligence & Space; Terranova Security; US Bank; VISA; Wells Fargo. The National Cyber Security Alliance’s core efforts include Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (Jan. 28); Identity Management Day; and CyberSecure My Business™. For more information on the National Cyber Security Alliance, please visit https://staysafeonline.org.