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Scott pros prep students for cyber security competition

  • Published
  • Information Assurance Office
Scott Air Force Base, Ill. --  National Cyber Security Awareness month is here and a cadre from the Air Force Network Integration Center is working with the local community to help inspire a new generation of defenders.

Senior Master Sgt. Jon Welch, 2nd Lts. Matthew Evans and Alex Roosma, and Master Sgt. Brian Quick are conducting weekly training sessions at O'Fallon Township High School.

"We are using cutting edge Linux and Windows operating systems to provide the students hands on experience in locking down critical system services, vulnerable default settings and many other weaknesses found in the systems," Quick said.

Together, at OTHS, they are preparing 10 students for the National Cyberpatriot Competition Oct. 28-29.

Air Force Association officials noted Cyberpatriot isn't geared towards a hacking competition, but as an annual event focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, education.

Roosma said, "This competition is important because our future depends on the next generation of cyber defenders who excel in critical disciplines of STEM and Cyberpatriot helps inspire these skills."

Participating students are members of the school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and their commanders, Craig Bedard and James Moulton, will coach the team for the competition.

The training sessions are designed to demonstrate methods of mitigating common and advanced computer vulnerabilities, Quick said. The competition runs for three rounds and the O'Fallon students are participating in the first Oct. 28-29. Round two is Dec. 2-3 and round 3 is slated Jan. 13-14, 2012.

In each round, students will be provided one to three virtual machines that contain complex computer vulnerabilities or weaknesses which they must find and fix within the allotted time. The scores from all the teams will be computed nationwide.

The teams that find the most vulnerabilities go onto the next round, and the winners of all three rounds compete in the National Championships in Washington, D.C., March 22-23, 2012.

Department of Homeland Security recently reported that the growing number of attacks on America's cyber networks has become one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation has ever faced.

The Department of Defense plays an important role in countering threats to cyberspace and critical infrastructures by working to empower the general public to create a safe, secure, and resilient cyber environment, and promote cyber security knowledge and innovation.

Cyber professionals at Scott interested in sharing their computer security skills can volunteer to mentor O'Fallon High School students by contacting Craig Bedard at 632-3507, ext. 218 or 219.