Category: Competitions

information about competitions in which CEROC teams have participated

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Tennessee Tech take 2nd Place at 2019 CyberCorps SFSCon

COOKEVILLE, TN – The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech is pleased to announce another successful showing at the SFSCon.  The CyberCorps SFSCon is a cybersecurity training and professional development event for the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) students and alumni nationwide.  The event focuses on topics such as software security, malware analysis, network security, web security, cryptography, incident response, forensics, and the fundamentals of penetration testing.  The conference is hosted by Cal Poly Pomona.  The Capture the Flag competition is one of the most engaging parts of the event.

Tennessee Tech CyberCorps SFS students, operating under the team name GuessWho, made a strong showing throughout the competition leading until the final minutes.  Team GuessWho finished in second place with a score of 4513 just behind the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a score of 4606.  “We are very proud of our team’s dominating performance with what could only be called a photo finish.” stated Eric Brown, CEROC’s Assistant Director.

“Competitions like these, where our students’ skills are being compared to the skills of their peers, clearly demonstrate the incredible talent embodied in these scholars.  This outcome is the result of more than their daily coursework efforts; it is the result of countless hours of crowdsourced learning led by the students themselves.  These learning opportunities train the students not only in technical areas but provides a solid skill set in mentoring and teaching.  These scholars represent our country’s next generation of cyber defenders.  We are very proud of them” noted Dr. Ambareen Siraj, CEROC’s director.  

CEROC’s defense, offense, and CTF teams remain active throughout the year.  Currently CEROC teams are participating in picoCTF, Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC), National Cyber League, and other cyber competitions.  Tennessee Tech will be serving as the Central Region host for the 2019 CPTC held this October 11th-13th.

CEROC:  Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center at Tennessee Tech University, 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-accredited Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), host of the first and largest CyberCorps SFS program in the State of Tennessee, and host of the only DoD Cyber Scholarship program site in the state placing the center among the top tier of such centers in the nation.  CEROC, via Dr. Siraj’s work, is also the founding group for the Women in Cybersecurity Conference, the largest conference of its type 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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CEROC CPTC Team Places 2nd in Regionals!

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Eric Brown, elbrown@tntech.edu, 931-372-3519

Cookeville, TN – The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech University is pleased to announce the 2nd place finish of the Tennessee Tech team at the 2018 Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition – Central Region held at Missouri University of Science and Technology October 5-7, 2018.  Dakota State took 1st place.  Among the other competitors in the field of six universities are Missouri University S&T, University of Texas – San Antonio, and Southern Methodist University.  Both Dakota State and Tennessee Tech will move on to national competition to be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY November 2-4, 2018.

As described by the organization, “The Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) provides a vehicle for up and coming cybersecurity student teams to build and hone the skills required to effectively discover, triage, and mitigate critical security vulnerabilities. This competition is unique in offering a simulated environment that mimics real world networks. The competition focuses on improving the security posture of a fictitious organization and reporting on risks in a manner that is similar to a real professional environment.”  The competition incorporates skillsets involving the use of technology, accurate communication, and effective collaboration.

Participating in this year’s team are Joe Bivens, Darren Cunningham, Connor Gannon, Max Layer, Sam Wehunt, and David Yantis.  Joseph Cross, cybersecurity technologist with CEROC, served as the staff advisor.  Darren Cunningham stated, “It was an incredible learning experience… exhausting, but a lot of fun.”  Eric Brown, assistant director for CEROC, noted “This group is just another example of the high-quality, student professionals which enrich our center’s work.  We are very proud of their accomplishments both in achievement and professional growth.”

CEROC (https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc) is a NSA-designated Center ofAcademic Excellence – Cyber Defense and a CyberCorps SFS participating school since December 2015.  Located in the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech, CEROC offers a wide variety of services and programs across the pillars of education, research and outreach.  Dr. Ambareen Siraj is the founding director of the center who leads its education, research, and outreach activities.  Dr. Siraj is also the founder of the Women in Cybersecurity conference and organization (https://www.wicys.org/).

More information about the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition can be found at https://nationalcptc.org.

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