University of Maryland Wins National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship
University of Maryland, Baltimore County defeated nine other finalist teams to win the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition to become National Champions.
The championship was held in San Antonio, Texas, April 13-15, with the top 10 college and university teams from across the nation facing off to protect a network against constant cyber attacks.
More than 230 colleges and universities participated in regional competitions that led to this year's national championship.
"This is the fourth year we have been the title sponsor of NCCDC and watching these students practice their skills in real-life business scenarios gives me confidence we are growing the workforce-ready cyber talent that will meet the future demands of this important field," said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "Congratulations to The University of Maryland, Baltimore County for a job well done."
Modeled after real-world scenarios, NCCDC was the first national cybersecurity competition to test how well college students operate and manage a network infrastructure similar to the networks found in the commercial sector. In this year's National Championship, the competing teams worked to secure a multi-site retail corporation with 160 employees, point of sale systems, inventory systems, and other systems you find in a typical retail company.
"The NCCDC program brings academia, government and industry together in a unique way," said Dwayne Williams, director of the NCCDC. "Everyone recognizes we need to find and train more cyber professionals and these competitions absolutely help to meet that need."
At the end of the competition, University of Maryland, Baltimore County earned the highest score and took home the coveted NCCDC Alamo Cup. Raytheon will bring the winning team to Washington, D.C., this summer to tour some of the nation's top research and national cybersecurity sites.
In addition to University of Maryland, Baltimore County top finish, University of Tulsa placed second, and Brigham Young University placed third. The 10 schools that competed at the championship include:
· University of Alaska Fairbanks, At Large Regional CCDC Winner
· University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Mid-Atlantic Regional Winner
· DePaul University, Mid-West Regional Winner
· Montana Tech, North Central Regional Winner
· Rochester Institute of Technology, Northeast Regional Winner
· University of Washington Seattle, Pacific Rim Regional Winner
· Brigham Young University, Rocky Mountain Regional Winner
· University of South Alabama, Southeast Regional Winner
· University of Tulsa, Southwest Regional Winner
· California State University Northridge, Western Regional CCDC Winner
Sponsors of NCCDC include government agencies, colleges and commercial companies.