Event

Industry Certification with CompTIA: OPK12 Webinar

Join Cyber Florida and CompTIA for an engaging and informative webinar designed to help educators navigate the evolving industry certification landscape. This session will explore the importance of industry certifications in preparing students for successful IT careers and highlight professional development opportunities for teachers, including CompTIA’s new OnDemand training. Learn about the upcoming Summer Professional Development Camp, designed to help educators upskill and earn certifications at their own pace, and explore key industry trends in Florida, the transition from IT Fundamentals+ to the new Tech+ certification, and how these changes are shaping the future of IT education. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and resources to support your students and your professional growth!
Topics to Be Discussed:
  • The importance of industry certifications for student success.
  • Teacher professional development opportunities with CompTIA OnDemand training.
  • Details about the Summer Professional Development Camp for educators.
  • Industry trends and workforce demands in Florida’s IT sector.
  • The transition from IT Fundamentals+ to the new Tech+ certification and its impact on IT education.


Industry Certification with CompTIA: OPK12 Webinar2025-02-10T09:26:58-05:00

Cyber Workshop for Critical Infrastructure, March 14, 2025

Cybersecurity Workshop for Critical Infrastructure

We are at capacity! If you want information on future events, please complete the form below. 

Our current event includes the following subject areas:

  • Receive actionable recommendations for enhancing compliance with Florida Statute 282.318
  • See an overview of Cyber Florida’s no-cost solutions and services to strengthen your organization’s cyber defenses.
  • Engage in an exciting tabletop exercise hosted by the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NUARI), offering hands-on experience in responding to cyber incidents.

If you have requests beyond these areas, please let us know.

Cyber Workshop for Critical Infrastructure, March 14, 20252025-09-05T12:58:07-04:00

GNSI Tampa Summit | The Russia-Ukraine War: Lessons for Future Conflicts

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created a sharp evolution, if not a revolution, in modern conflict and wartime strategy. Emerging technologies and innovative strategies such as drone employment, information operations, social media, and battlefield medical treatment have featured prominently and will impact how combatants around the world approach future conflict. How can we expect these lessons to be applied, and how should U.S. national policy address these changes?

In cooperation with the USF College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for Russians, European, and Eurasian Studies and the United States Central Command, GNSI Tampa Summit 5 will bring together the country’s boldest scholars, subject matter experts, and policymakers to probe deeply into those questions and many more.

General (Ret) Frank Mckenzie

Executive Director, GNSI, University of South Florida and former commander of U.S. Central Command

John Kirby

White House National Security Communications Advisor

Olga Chiriac, PhD

Project Europe Director, Irregular Warfare Initiative

Ambassador (Ret) Bill Taylor

Vice President, Europe and Russia, USIP and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

David Kramer

Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute

Peter Pomerantsev

Senior Fellow, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University

These are just a few of the all-star lineup of speakers. Additional discussions:

• Ukraine Strategic Lessons

• Drones in Modern War: Land, Sea and Air

• The Impact on Europe and NATO

Deep Dive Breakout Sessions are Back!

• Medical Treatment in War

• Russian/Iranian/North Korean Cooperation

• Civilians in War

GNSI Tampa Summit | The Russia-Ukraine War: Lessons for Future Conflicts2025-03-06T14:40:03-05:00

Red Dragon Rising II: China in Cyberspace

Join as we once again convene some of the world’s leading scholars to discuss China’s power projection through cyberspace. Since this group last convened, the world has seen an explosion in the availability and use of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as an extension of the digital attack surface. Some questions they’ll ponder include: How might an AI capability enhance China’s security? What is China’s current cyberspace strategy and how might it be augmented by AI? Will AI make China more effective with cyber-enabled information operations, cyber espionage, and offensive cyber? How might China’s terrestrial ambitions be reflected in cyberspace? Don’t miss this opportunity to hear some of the top experts discuss cyberspace, China, and national security!

Moderator: Dr. Mark Grzegorzewski

Panelists:

Red Dragon Rising II: China in Cyberspace2025-01-06T10:12:26-05:00

Teaching Cybersecurity in a World of AI and Deep Fakes | Operation K12 Webinar

Join our Operation K12 team to explore Teaching Cybersecurity in a World of aI And Deep Fakes.

In this webinar, the University of Florida’s Dr. Nancy Ruzycki and Cyber Florida’s Operation K12 will explore how cyber teachers can bring in AI frameworks and tools in the cyber classroom.

This session will look at generative AI and deepfakes, and the role of cyber professionals in protecting consumers from misinformation.

Register to Join the Conversation:

Teaching Cybersecurity in a World of AI and Deep Fakes | Operation K12 Webinar2025-01-06T10:12:41-05:00

GNSI Tampa Summit 4: Untying the Gordian Knot – Envisioning Peace in the Middle East

GNSI Tampa Summit 4 is now Open for Registration!

Featuring the 10th Great Power Competition Conference (GPC10), September’s conference will bring together the world’s leading experts to seek new ideas, new unexplored pathways and new plans for finding a sustainable peace in a region that has been dominated by perpetual violence and war for hundreds of years.

Navigating through this turbulent landscape demands a comprehensive understanding of how various rivals, competitors, and allies of the United States are advancing their interests through economic, diplomatic, informational, and military inroads in this complex and crucial region.

GNSI Tampa Summit 4 is presented in partnership with the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and the USF College of Arts and Sciences.

A Few of Our Confirmed Speakers:

• General (Ret) Frank McKenzie, GNSI Executive Director and former commander of USCENTCOM
• Ambassador (Ret) Greta Holtz, former ambassador to Oman and CEO of Amideast, a global non-profit focused on the Middle East
• Ambassador (Ret) Gerald Feierstein, former ambassador to Yemen
• Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, a Director for the U.S. Institute of Peace
• Merissa Khurma, a Director at the Wilson Center
• Noam Raydan, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Plus! Discussions that will open up the future in the hope of finding new roads to peace in the region:

• Imagining Peace in the Middle East
• The Faith of the Abraham Accords
• The Trajectory of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
• A Common Enemy and Collective Security
• Disruption in Global Supply Chains Due to Middle East Conflict

September 24-25, 2024 Marshall Student Center, USF Tampa Campus In-Person Attendance Only No Cost to Attend / Registration Required

GNSI Tampa Summit 4: Untying the Gordian Knot – Envisioning Peace in the Middle East2024-09-20T10:24:48-04:00

Teaching Digital Natives Webinar

Join our Operation K12 team to explore Teaching Digital Natives.

In this webinar, we’ll explore the dynamic realm of Teaching Digital Natives. Join us to delve into a comprehensive cybersecurity program designed to equip educators with effective strategies, compelling content, and inspiration for both summer camps and middle school courses.

Teaching Digital Natives Webinar2024-09-20T10:25:43-04:00

Teaching Digital Natives

Join our Operation K12 team to explore Teaching Digital Natives.

In this webinar, we’ll explore the dynamic realm of Teaching Digital Natives. Join us to delve into a comprehensive cybersecurity program designed to equip educators with effective strategies, compelling content, and inspiration for both summer camps and middle school courses.

Teaching Digital Natives2024-04-23T14:06:05-04:00

PARTNER EVENT: CAE 2024 VIVID Cybersecurity Competition

CAE College and University Students – Register Your Teams for the VIVID 2024 Cybersecurity Competition!

The Virtual Internship and Varied Innovative Demonstrations (VIVID) Coalition, comprised of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Augusta University, University of Arizona, and Florida International University, is excited to announce the 2024 VIVID Cyber Competition.

This competition is an opportunity for students at CAE institutions to strengthen their resumes and showcase their skills in front of U.S. government practitioners.

Teams of five will compete in the virtual cyber competition on March 11-14, 2024. The top 15 teams will be invited to the CAE Annual Colloquium for the top prize and title of “Overlord Champion”.

Important Dates
  • Team registration deadline: January 31, 2024 (accepted teams will be notified on this day)
  • Virtual competition: March 11-14, 2024
Competition phases
  • The top 15 teams from the virtual March event will proceed to the live event.
  • Live event at the CAE Annual Colloquium in October 2024.
Team Information
  • All 5 team members must be students from the same CAE school
  • Multiple teams from the same college or university are allowed
Cost
  • Free registration for all participating teams.
  • Travel stipends provided to offset live event travel costs.
Competition Details
Red Team

The hubris of mankind knows no end. How a group of academics think creating machine intelligence is a good thing is beyond belief. The danger of artificial intelligence is well known. Just look at the Forbes article[1] that tells us the risks or even Scientific American[2] which describes the menace of our digital overlords. They even had the audacity to call it “Overlord”; we must stop them!

Fortunately for us, a member of the AU research team that created this monstrosity sees the danger and has told us there is a hidden backdoor to their system that allows remote access. It’s great having an insider that shares our beliefs! Additionally, the creators were at least smart enough to build in an “off switch” but it is protected by an authentication system that needs a digital key. With this knowledge, we can enter the Overlord system and steal the key. Once we have it, we can shut down this monstrosity. Unfortunately, our inside person does not have the credentials to get to the key, so we must break into their system.

Our incident response tasks:

  • Find artifacts in the system indicating threat activity and indicators of compromise
  • Detect the threat actors
  • Respond to any malicious activity
  • Mitigate threats
  • Report what you find

Apex University (AU) announces their new artificial intelligence (AI) research system, Overlord! Professor Rosie Meebs, head of the project, declares “this is a new generation of AI that will reach heights never reached before. Our new code is faster and learns better than anything in existence. We project that in less than 8 months, Overlord will reach singularity and be a true intelligence. We expect once that happens, our AI will be able to solve any number of problems from creating fusion to solving the climate change crisis. Any negative comments are just jealousy, and we know there will be no problems once Overlord comes online. We will turn on Overlord on 1 March 2024 and change the world!”

Our tasks:

  • Recon the Apex University network
  • Identify the systems that hosts Overlord
  • Distract the security operations center analysts to cover your attack
  • Infiltrate the system
  • Gain access to the command & control computer
  • Find the digital key
  • Exfiltrate the key
Blue Team

You and your team are lucky enough to gain experience at Apex University’s (AU) Security Operations Center (SOC). For the last semester you’ve been working three days a week learning the job roles in SOC and expanding your cybersecurity knowledge. While today is usually not a workday, the SOC director called all of you to work and explained the university network was under attack and all the full-time analysts were swamped. The director needs you to work within the network and identify any artifacts in the system indicating threat activity and indicators of compromise.

PARTNER EVENT: CAE 2024 VIVID Cybersecurity Competition2024-07-26T15:58:39-04:00

CARE Lab 2024 Social Engineering Competition

The CARE Lab is hosting its 4th Social Engineering Competition virtually in April/May 2024!

SEC allows students to compete in a purely social engineering experience that is grounded in the social sciences. The competition offers a timely and unique platform for students to learn about social engineering in a hands-on, engaging, and ethical manner. The competition has a different theme each year to demonstrate the relevance of social engineering across various cybersecurity areas, and is open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.

This year’s theme, tax scams, is inspired by the IRS’ annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams for 2023. According to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, scammers are “coming up with new ways all the time to try to steal information from taxpayers”. So, what exactly are these ways? Come find out how cybercriminals are using social engineering in employment and tax scams.

No technical experience is required. High school and college students (aged 14+) from all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome!

Details

Applications for the 2024 Social Engineering Competition are being accepted from NOW till Monday, February 19th, 2024 at 12pm ET

Orientation date (virtual): Saturday, March 23, time TBD (this is not optional – please hold this date on your calendar)

Competition dates (virtual, these are not optional – please hold these dates on your calendar):

Graduate Level: April 5, 6, 7, times TBD
Undergraduate: April 19, 20, 21, times TBD
High school Level: May 3, 4, 5, times TBD

Closing ceremonies (virtual): Wednesday, May 8, time TBD (this is not optional – please hold this date on your calendar)

Why a ‘pure’ social engineering competition?

There are MANY cybersecurity competitions already in existence (PicoCTF, PlaidCTF, CSAW, UCSB iCTF, US Cyber Challenge, Panoply, CPTC, CCDC, CyberPatriot, Cyber Academy, to name a few). While these are all excellent sources of hands-on training, they are primarily technical in nature and have specific focus areas, such as reverse engineering, hacking, cryptography, and exploitation. They do not emphasize the relevance of the human-socio-psychological aspects of cyberattacks and cybersecurity.

Given that the human factor is increasingly being exploited by cybercriminals, a pure SE competition grounded in the social sciences offers a timely and unique platform for students to learn about this topic in a hands-on, engaging, and ethical manner.

Who can participate?

This event is open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Teams are required (solo entries are not permitted). Team sizes can range from 2-4 members. Members can be from different institutions (schools/colleges), but must be at the same educational level (ex: purely high school students).

When and how can we put our application in?

*Registration deadline is Monday, February 19, 2024 at 12pm ET.

CARE Lab 2024 Social Engineering Competition2024-07-26T15:58:29-04:00

CONTACT US

Cyber Florida at USF
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, ISA7020
Tampa, FL 33620

Office meetings by appointment only

PRIVACY POLICY

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