ISU NIATEC program hosts cyber security competition, attracts 10 teams

The NIATEC Invitational Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition lasted approximately 10 hours.

“The ISU NIATEC students have put together an impressive competition,” Advisor Ryan Lind said. “This event helps developing security experts gain experience implementing security principles in a dynamic environment. We’re pleased at the level of interest in the competition and the number of schools participating.”

Participating teams include Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Weber State University, University of Idaho and the LDS Business College.

The cyber defense competition put teams in the role of system administrators attempting to defend their networks from an aggressive red team, which seeks to cripple the availability of their systems. At the same time, the teams were responsible for developing and implementing security policy and controls to secure both the digital and technical environments.

NIATEC students have developed a dynamic virtual infrastructure and populated it within a creative scenario environment to produce a holistic security experience. Funding for this year’s competition was provided exclusively by ISU Credit Union, with special scholarship prizes for competitors being provided by the National Security Agency.