Hey CyberDawgs!
I wanted to update everyone on some upcoming and ongoing competitions you can do! If you want to gain more experience and learn, these can be a great way to start!
Hivestorm (Wednesday, October 16th)
Hivestorm is a collegiate-focused cyber defense competition. Teams compete by securing provided Windows and Linux-based virtual machines. Teams accumulate points for addressing each scored issue and must race against the clock to accumulate as many points as possible over a 4-hour window. Very similar to Cyberpatriot and a great way to prepare for Tryouts.
You can compete in teams of 2-4 people from UMBC. Read more about it at https://www.hivestorm.org/index.html. Registration closes on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 11:00 PM ET.
NOTE: When submitting the registration for a Hivestorm team, use the information below for the coach:
- Kevin Chen
- kevin.chen@umbc.edu
- 410-455-3500
Palo Alto Secure the Future Academic Competition (See Attached Flyer)
This academic competition is designed to challenge actively enrolled undergraduate students on how to make decisions regarding the protection of operational assets through the analysis, comparison, and selection of advanced security tools, methodologies, and implementation options. Additionally, student candidates will research and develop a competition report, summary video, and presentation that, at a minimum, will include methodologies for deploying end-to-end attack detection, alert triage, threat hunting, investigation, orchestration, and automated response activities.
The first-place cash prize is $10,000.00, second-place is $5,000.00, and third-place is $2,500.00. The deadline to enroll and take the qualifier test is October 15th.
DMV Collegiate Capture the Future CTF (See Attached Flyer)
There is an in-person CTF event on November 2nd from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM at Loyola University Maryland! Compete in a team of up to 5 people against student teams from across the DMV, with up to $2,500 in prizes for the top teams. Network with peers, industry professionals, and government leaders while sharpening your cyber skills. The event features panels on the state of the cyber landscape and entering the modern cyber workforce, plus breakout sessions on cutting-edge topics like cloud computing and AI. Don't miss out on this chance to learn, compete, and connect.
Register for FREE: https://app.metactf.com/join/emagine24
NSA Codebreaker
As a reminder, NSA Codebreaker started on September 16th, 2024, and runs through January 17th, 2025. This immersive cybersecurity competition allows participants to tackle real-world scenarios involving reverse engineering, network traffic analysis, and cryptography, offering a unique opportunity to develop skills while solving national security challenges.
If you haven’t started yet, no worries! You can begin the challenge at https://nsa-codebreaker.org/register.
hackUMBC
If you haven’t already and are not doing anything this weekend, sign-up for hackUMBC! Register now at https://www.hackumbc.tech/sign-up.
Over $6,500 in prizes and cool swag (iPad, 3D printer, Nintendo Switch, and much more!) will be available. Plus, free snacks and meals will be provided throughout the event. Check-in starts at 9:00 AM on September 28th at UMBC's ITE Atrium, and the opening ceremony follows at 10:00 AM in ITE 104!
The CyberDawgs will be doing a TryHackMe/HackTheBox workshop on Saturday at 3:45 PM in ITE 456. You will also want to be there to catch Nightwing’s “Hack My Hat” workshop (as seen at DEFCON) at 3 PM in ITE 233.
For the full event schedule and details, visit https://www.hackumbc.tech/#schedule. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun!
CTFTime and Team Formation
As always, if you are looking for more competitions, CTFTime is a great place to look for what’s available: https://ctftime.org/event/list/upcoming.
Don’t hesitate to use the Club Discord (https://discord.gg/hUVkGvvY2y) to form a team for any competition listed above or for one you find in the future!
Kind Regards,
William Brooks
CyberDawgs President