Top 10 teams in the nation will meet in Dallas to compete April 28-30
DALLAS, TEXAS—The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at The University of Texas at San Antonio today announced the 10 finalists for the 18th Annual National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) Championship. The NCCDC, hosted by the CIAS with presenting sponsor Raytheon Technologies, will be held in Dallas, Texas, from April 28-30, 2023. The three-day national championship features the top 10 teams from colleges and universities across the country testing their skills in defending against cyber-attacks. The National Champion will be awarded the Alamo Cup on April 30.
More than 1,500 students participated from 173 colleges and universities in qualifying and regional CCDC events, with the winners of each regional event advancing to the National Championship. The winners of the 10 regional competitions are:
- Brigham Young University
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- Dakota State University
- DePaul University
- Northeastern University
- Stanford University
- Oregon State University
- University of North Florida
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Virginia
“Making it to the NCCDC championship is a tremendous accomplishment. Student teams from across the country train for this event, putting their classroom knowledge and hands-on skills to the test,” said Jon Check, executive manager of Cyber Protection Solutions at Raytheon Technologies. “We’re proud to sponsor this event and I’m looking forward to seeing the best cybersecurity talent our nation’s colleges and universities have to offer come together for a few days of friendly competition, networking and mentorship from the cybersecurity professionals at Raytheon Technologies.”
The NCCDC maintains that a solid, defensive mindset is a critical skill to arm students with, and it recognizes the importance of being able to self-assess an organization’s critical infrastructure. To support that focus, this unique competition is tailored toward the operational aspect of managing and protecting an existing “commercial” network infrastructure.
During the competition, collegiate teams face challenges similar to real-world situations as they manage, protect and defend their organization’s infrastructure from ‘Red Teams’ – volunteers simulating real-world cyber attackers that pose a live threat to their defense strategy.
“We’re excited to see eight of the 10 collegiate teams returning from last year. These students have developed the technical, leadership and teamwork skills needed to pursue careers in the information security and information technology fields,” said Dwayne Williams, director of the NCCDC and associate director at the CIAS. “These students, from the regional level up to the national championship, are highly motivated, capable and heavily recruited by government, academia and industry. We’re continually amazed at their skill-set and professional work ethic each year.”
For more information about the NCCDC or National Champion, visit NationalCCDC.org or follow on Twitter @Nationalccdc, #NCCDC.
About the National CCDC
Hosted by the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at The University of Texas at San Antonio, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) system provides institutions with an information assurance or computer security curriculum a controlled, competitive environment to assess their student’s depth of understanding and operational competency in managing the challenges inherent in protecting a corporate network infrastructure and business information systems. For more information, visit www.NationalCCDC.org.
