18th annual competition trains next generation of cybersecurity professionals
DALLAS (May 1, 2023) – Stanford University competed against nine other student-led teams to become champion of the 2023 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, sponsored by Raytheon Technologies. Held at the Dallas-Addison Marriott from April 28-30, the competition saw more than 1,500 competitors from 178 collegiate teams across the U.S. participate in the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind.
Competitors were tasked with managing, operating, and defending the network infrastructure of a fictitious urgent care medical facility based in Colorado, which had recently acquired two clinics, while simultaneously fending off live hackers.
Organized by The University of Texas San Antonio’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, the competition received assistance from industry cybersecurity professionals as well as Raytheon Technologies, who provided about 30 employee volunteers to serve as judges, employees, customers, and executive leadership in the competition scenario.
“Cybersecurity is about protecting our way of life,” said Jon Check, executive director of Cyber Protection Solutions at Raytheon Intelligence & Space “I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Stanford University for winning the 2023 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and all the teams that competed this year. NCCDC educates and inspires the next generation of cyber defenders, preparing them to meet the threats they will defend against in the real world.”
As winners of the 2023 NCCDC, Stanford University will take home the coveted Alamo Cup and will visit Washington, D.C. for a winner’s tour, where they will have the opportunity to meet with government, military and industry cybersecurity professionals. This is the first time that the Stanford University has won the competition. They first attended nationals in 2019, and came in third place in the 2020 and 2022 competitions. In addition, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona and DePaul University placed second and third, respectively, during this year’s competition.
“Technology integrates into almost every part of our lives. Academia, industry and government must work together to ensure we are training the workforce needed to operate and secure that reality,” said Dwayne Williams, director of NCCDC and CIAS associate director. “Support from Raytheon Technologies allows us to evolve our events each year and reflect the current workspace. This year, we challenged our competitors with a mix of on-premises, work from home and cloud-based scenarios in our competitions.”
This year, any new or re-engaging historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, Asian and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities that competed in the 2023 Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition were eligible to apply for a $1,000 scholarship to cover regional registration fees, travel costs, and resources or materials needed for competition training. Five universities received this year’s scholarship.
More information on NCCDC and how your organization or university can get involved in the competition, visit https://www.nationalccdc.org/.
