Are you a community college student with an interest in network security or information assurance? Would you like to test your skills in a fast-paced game environment? If so, one if Capitol College’s upcoming Cyber Saturdays could be a great way to spend part of your weekend.
The brainchild of Dr. Jason Pittman, a faculty member at Capitol, Cyber Saturday events reinforce the fundamentals of cybersecurity but are also designed to be fun.
"I simply build games that I like to play and that contribute to my scientific research," Pittman said. "It just so happens that other people like to play the same games. The games are designed to primarily be fun and secondarily reinforce IA/cybersecurity principles."
The next Cyber Saturday is on Saturday (March 15th) from 10 am to 4 pm, at the McGowan Center on the Capitol campus. The featured game will be Treasure Hunt, in which participants work together in small groups to discover system vulnerabilities, with a “treasure map” provided as a guide.
Two weeks later, on March 29th, Oddball will be the name of the game. Teams will strive to hold on to the "ball" -- a file located on a target system. (Specific details of both games are subject to change).
Students attending the events will also have an opportunity to visit Capitol’s groundbreaking Cyber Battle Lab, where students track worldwide cybersecurity threats and gain real-time, hands-on experience.
According to Pittman, Cyber Saturday activities exercise a number of skills that students must master in order to become an effective network security professional. Co-ordination, quick thinking, good time management and the ability to work as part of a team are all needed in order to make it through the multiple rounds of each game.
Most importantly, he added, the games provide plenty of opportunity to test offensive cybersecurity skills.
"Capitol College is in an ideal position to offer events like these because of our designated Cyber Battle Lab and our faculty who take the time to make learning fun and interesting,” said Director of Admissions Operations Meghan Young. “Thanks to Dr. Jason Pittman’s ability to create these kinds of games, we are able to offer a unique learning experience.”
Cyber Saturday events are designed for community college students. They are part of a broader effort to help build the next generation of cyber-defenders and security professionals, a key need in today’s digital economy.
Are you ready to join the action, or know someone who might be? Contact Meghan Young at Admissions: mayoung@capitol-college.edu or 301-369-2555. To download a printable registration form, click here.