Brenda Marie Rivers
A team of University of Virginia students has been named winner of this year’s National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition sponsored by Raytheon as well as other commercial firms, educational institutions and government agencies.
UVA beat out nine finalist teams for the competitive event that challenged student teams to develop cyber protective measures for a fictional company that faced simulated attacks from participating ethical hackers, Raytheon said Thursday.
John DeSimone, vice president of cybersecurity and special missions at Raytheon’s intelligence, information and services segment, said NCCDC’s strategy of deploying real-world scenarios helps attract talent that will address a cyber workforce gap is projected to reach 3.5M by 2021.
NCCDC saw over 235 universities and colleges take part in cybersecurity defense challenges through multiple-stage regional competitions prior to a single-elimination round for the culminating event.
Raytheon will provide for the UVA team’s trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with top government and cybersecurity entities as part of the winners’ designation as Alamo Cup holders.
