Cyber Defense Competitions
National Cyber Defense Competition
The Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) system provides institutions with an information assurance or computer security curriculum a controlled, competitive environment to assess their student's depth of understanding and operational competency in managing the challenges inherent in protecting a corporate network infrastructure and business information systems.
Students assume administrative and protective duties for an existing “commercial” network – typically a small company with 50+ users, 7 to 10 servers, and common Internet services such as a web and mail server and an e-commerce site. Each team begins the competition with an identical set of hardware and software and is scored on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services, respond to requests such as the addition or removal of additional services, and balance security needs against business needs. A team of volunteers provide the “external threat” all Internet-based services face and allows the teams to match their defensive skills against live opponents.
CCDC Events are designed to build a meaningful mechanism by which institutions of higher education may evaluate their programs. CCDC also provides an educational venue in which students are able to apply the theory and practical skills they have learned in their course work. Teamwork, ethical behavior, and effective communication skills are fostered to create interest and awareness among participating institutions and students.
CyberPatriot is the national high school cyber defense competition created by the Air Force Association (AFA) the CIAS, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), to excite, educate, and motivate the next generation of cyber defenders and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates our nation needs. CyberPatriot is open to high school students and consists of two parallel competitions - The "All Service" division for JROTC and CAP units and the "Open" division for all eligible students.
For more information please visit CyberPatriot.org.
