News

Cyber Florida Hosts the Inaugural CyberLaunch Competition

On March 1, 2024, Cyber Florida proudly hosted the inaugural CyberLaunch Competition in Orlando, Florida. The event marked a resounding success, with over 900 students from 97 Florida counties and 44 school districts uniting to test their cybersecurity skills, overcome new challenges, and network with potential employers in the cyber industry!

As Florida’s first statewide high school cybersecurity competition, CyberLaunch aimed to introduce high school students to the universe of cybersecurity careers through the fun of a statewide competition. The event provided a safe, cost-effective, and low-pressure environment for students to showcase their abilities, collaborate as teams, and gain valuable experience in the thrilling world of cybersecurity competitions.

CyberLaunch featured two competition tracks to cater to diverse skill levels, and both competitions were created with the help of EC-Council. The Guided competition was designed for competition beginners, and the Advanced Capture-The-Flag (CTF) was tailored for those with previous experience in CTF competitions.

Here are the notable winning teams from each category:

Guided Winning Teams –

1st place | NeoCity Academy (Osceola County) Teacher: Juan Tovar

2nd place | – Bayshore High School (Manatee County) Teacher: Chuck Routhier

3rd place | Doral Academy (Miami-Dade) Teacher: Jose Luis Del Valle/ Luis Santa Cruz

4th place | NeoCity Academy (Osceola County) Teacher: Juan Tovar

Advanced CTF Winning Teams:

1st place | John A. Ferguson Senior High School (Miami-Dade)Teacher: Maria Hernandez

2nd place | Crooms Academy of Information Technology (Seminole County) Teacher: Halima Fisher

3rd place | Hernando High School (Hernando County) Teacher: Mason Lewis

Beyond the competition, CyberLaunch featured an exhibit hall featuring more than 50 companies and organizations. Students had the chance to network with industry professionals, explore potential career paths, and gain insights into the diverse opportunities available in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity.

This event not only celebrated the remarkable achievements of Florida’s high school students but also highlighted the crucial role educators play in nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The Cyber Florida team is committed to continuing this journey of empowerment, fostering a future where students and teachers alike thrive in the vast and exciting landscape of cybersecurity possibilities.

Stay tuned for more details regarding the 2025 CyberLaunch Competition!

2024-03-08T15:51:48-05:00March 8, 2024|
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Cyber Florida Partners with WiCyS and Cisco to Tell A Story of Women in Cybersecurity

TAMPA – February 15, 2024 – Cyber Florida, Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), and Cisco are honored to announce their partnership to help tell the story of women in the cybersecurity industry. The efforts will include a live session with Jenny Radcliffe, also known as the People Hacker, at the 2024 WiCyS conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and a documentary centered around the women of cyber.

This partnership is in direct collaboration with the Do We Belong Here Podcast powered by Cyber Florida. Do We Belong Here aims to provide women and allies in the cybersecurity industry with a space to share their experiences and engage in open conversations about the industry. The podcast is hosted by Tashya Denose and Cisco’s Chief Information Security Officer Advisor Pam Lindemoen, who describes this joint partnership as crucial because “Cisco’s commitment to fostering an inclusive future for all propels me towards initiatives such as this podcast. Our goal is to inspire, educate, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. We aim to attract a richly diverse, talented pool of individuals to our field, thereby fortifying the cybersecurity workforce. Through these efforts, I hope we embody and advance Cisco’s mission.”

“Partnerships like this allow us to put Cyber Florida on a national stage and make a greater impact while telling the untold stories of this industry. Cyber Florida recognizes there is a need to close the workforce gap and bring diverse personalities and perspectives into the field to help secure our nation,” said Cyber Florida Director Ernie Ferraresso.

The annual WiCyS conference is the premiere conference for recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in cybersecurity. Each year, the WiCyS conference brings together thousands of women and allies in cybersecurity in academia, research, and government, and industry. WiCyS is delighted to have Jenny Radcliffe speak at the conference , taking place April 11-13, 2024.

The session will focus on the experiences of Jenny Radcliffe and the role that perseverance has played in her life and career, with the intention of encouraging the WiCyS audience and all women of cyber to embrace their own unique power in this industry. “As a Social Engineer I know the power of stories, so I am delighted to support this event and excited to hear about the different routes into the industry from WiCyS and their members,” said Radcliffe.

“Keeping it real and letting folks know ‘yes, I do belong here’ is what this partnership is bringing to life,” states Dr. Janell Straach, WiCyS 2024 Conference Chair and WiCyS organization Chair of the Board. “At the WiCyS conference, we gather thousands of women in cybersecurity to not only highlight diverse talent but provide opportunities for education and networking.

Tickets for the 2024 WiCyS Conference go on sale February 19. Join us for your chance to witness this session and be a part of the story: www.wicys.org/events/wicys-2024/

Catch up on all the episodes of the Do We Belong Here Podcast: www.cyberflorida.org/dowebelongpod

About Cyber Florida
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity (also known as Cyber Florida) was established by the State of Florida in 2014 to make the Sunshine State one of the most cyber-secure in the nation by promoting cybersecurity education, research, and outreach in partnership with the 12 State University System of Florida (SUS) institutions. Hosted by the University of South Florida, the Center is committed to increasing the number of K-12 students interested in and prepared for careers in cybersecurity and related STEM disciplines.

About WiCyS
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) is a nonprofit organization with international reach dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in cybersecurity. WiCyS was founded by Dr. Ambareen Siraj in 2013 through a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Tennessee Tech University. In less than 10 years, it has grown into an organization (est. in 2017) representing a leading alliance between trailblazers from academia, government, and industry. WiCyS offers opportunities, trainings, events, and resources for its members. Strategic partners include Tier 1: Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Battelle, Bloomberg, Carnegie Mellon University – Software Engineering Institute, Cisco, Fortinet, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta, Microsoft, Optum, Sandia National Laboratories, SentinelOne. Tier 2: AbbVie, Aristocrat, Dell Technologies, Intel, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, McKesson, Nike, NCC Group, Workday, Navy Federal Credit Union, Yubico Inc., DeVry University. To partner, visit http://www.wicys.org/support/strategic-partnerships/.

About Cisco
Cisco is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

2024-02-15T10:35:15-05:00February 15, 2024|
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Exploring ITS Cybersecurity Education

Join our Operation K12 team to explore the ITS Cybersecurity Certification.

In this webinar, we’ll explore the standards, alignment, and benefits of the ITS Cybersecurity Industry Certification.  We will review the content of the certification and discuss resources and integration.  Participants will have access to free instructional materials, practice tests, and test vouchers.

register
2024-02-12T13:32:16-05:00January 22, 2024|
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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.
register your team
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.

2024-02-21T16:36:09-05:00January 22, 2024|
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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?

Click here to apply

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

2024-01-04T09:59:15-05:00January 3, 2024|
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New Program for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

 

The Critical Infrastructure Protection Program

Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida, the state’s leading cybersecurity resource, is pleased to announce a new effort under the CyberSecureFlorida program: the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Program. Stemming from the success of the recently completed Critical Infrastructure Risk Assessment (CIRA) program funded by the Florida Legislature in 2022, the CIP program takes the next step to provide no-cost resources, tools, and guidance to Florida’s public and private critical infrastructure entities to help mitigate their cyberattack vulnerabilities.  

The CIP Program is intended to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and resource-constrained county and municipal government entities in implementing basic cybersecurity protocols and policies to achieve a fundamental cybersecurity posture. This comprehensive initiative is designed to fortify the cybersecurity resilience of public and private critical infrastructure across the state. 

In an era of increasing cyber threats, safeguarding critical infrastructure is paramount. The CyberSecureFlorida CIP program aims to empower organizations by providing high-quality cybersecurity resources, training, and support to defend against evolving cyber risks. Some of the new resources available include the following: 

  • A 20-question Entry-Level Assessment based on the most-reported weaknesses from the initial risk assessment program. The Entry-Level Assessment will help organizations immediately see how their cybersecurity protocols measure up in the high-risk areas. 
  • A Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan Template to help organizations think through and plan ahead for how to weather and recover from a cyber incident. 
  • A full, 156-question Risk Assessment that covers key cybersecurity protocols outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework as well as ransomware readiness. Both this and the Entry-Level Assessment are provided by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) through a customized instance of their highly regarded Cyber Security Evaluation Tool (CSET)®. 

“CyberSecureFlorida: Critical Infrastructure Protection Program represents a significant step forward in our commitment to fortifying the cybersecurity defenses of government entities and critical infrastructure businesses,” said Bryan Langley, Lead Program Manager at Cyber Florida. “By fostering collaboration, offering targeted training, and leveraging the expertise of our cybersecurity professionals, we aim to elevate the cybersecurity resilience of these vital sectors,” he said. 

To learn more about the CyberSecureFlorida CIP program and how your organization can participate, please visit the program’s official webpage: https://cyberflorida.org/cipp. For inquiries, please contact the program lead, Bryan Langley at bjlangley@cyberflorida.org.  

2023-11-28T10:57:41-05:00November 20, 2023|
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Florida SUS Dominate 2023 DOE’s CyberForce Competition

Florida State University Institutions Dominate 2023 Department of Energy’s CyberForce Competition

In an extraordinary display of cybersecurity prowess, State University System of Florida teams dominated the 2023 Department of Energy (DOE) CyberForce Competition on November 4 in St. Charles, IL. Out of 95 participating teams, Florida’s top institutions claimed four of the top five positions, showcasing the state’s exceptional talent and commitment to cyber education.

The final top standings are as follows:

1st place: UCF – A Team With A Dream: Achieving a third consecutive win, this marks the fourth National Championship in CyberForce for the UCF team, adding to their victories in 2018, 2021, and 2022.

3rd place: UF – Darth Gator: Securing an impressive third position, the UF team showcased their exceptional cyber skills.

4th place: UCF – St. Dominic College: A nod to the Q Center’s original name, St. Dominic College for Women, this UCF team claimed the fourth spot, maintaining a tradition of excellence.

5th Place: USF CyberHerd: The USF team rounded off the top five, demonstrating their dedication to cybersecurity and contributing to Florida’s dominance in the competition.

The annual DOE CyberForce Competition attracted nearly 600 students from elite schools across the nation, emphasizing the high level of competition. Florida State Universities, particularly UCF, UF, and USF, proved their mettle by claiming four of the top five positions, solidifying their reputation as leaders in cybersecurity education.

During the all-day CyberForce Competition, the teams faced real-world cybersecurity issues surrounding distributed energy resources (DERs), including constraints like budget and ensuring uninterrupted power access. The ninth iteration of the competition emphasized not just technical knowledge but innovation, adaptability, and effective communication. Participants had to maintain the system, create defenses on tight budgets, and work with virtual users. A Team with a Dream from the University of Central Florida demonstrated excellence in handling challenges to their mini electric grid despite the scenario’s realistic constraints and cyber-attacks.

“I want to congratulate A Team with a Dream from the University of Central Florida on their success in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 CyberForce Competition,” said Puesh M. Kumar, Director of CESER. “The competition focused on ensuring the cybersecurity of clean energy systems and the students did an exceptional job in executing the challenge. It’s vitally important that we continue to promote cyber workforce development to help us defend the energy sector of today, and tomorrow.”

Through this competition, DOE sought to inspire and strengthen the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Given the high demand for such experts, the CyberForce Competition plays an important role in preparing students for the field’s real-world challenges and demands. For many participants, it’s a steppingstone towards a career in creating a more secure digital world.

See the full press release from the DOE Office of Cybersecurity. To learn more about the DOE CyberForce competition, go to https://cyberforce.energy.gov/cyberforce-competition/.

2023-11-14T09:58:57-05:00November 14, 2023|
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CyberPathway and CAE Training for SDPBC Teachers

Calling all teachers from the school district of Palm Beach County! Join Palm Beach State College on August 5-7, 2023 for a two-day training with intensive cybersecurity seminars, workshops and trainings. The event is designed to bring together teachers, faculty, computer science, IT, networking, cybersecurity, ethical hackers, industry speakers, practitioners and professionals.

View agenda and register

Attend one day or both!

Saturday, August 5, 2023
10am – 4pm

Lake Worth Campus

Register Now
Monday, August 7, 2023
3:30pm – 7pm

Virtual

Register Now

2023-09-16T17:53:40-04:00July 20, 2023|
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HCC 2023 Cybersecurity Summer Camp

In collaboration with Florida Department of Education, the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida), and the University of South Florida, Hillsborough Community College is running their first ever FREE Cybersecurity Summer Camp! This camp is being offered to all Hillsborough County High School students in grades 9th – 12th. Come join us for a summer of fun and learning!

Have fun and learn all about cybersecurity from the faculty and staff of HCC’s Computer Science Department. No previous knowledge is required, just come with a passion for learning and an interest in meeting and collaborating with like-minded peers. This camp will focus on topics such digital footprint and open-source intelligence, networking, digital forensics, and more.

Students who attend all scheduled meetings will take home their very own Raspberry Pi 4!

Learn more and register
2023-09-16T16:55:46-04:00June 13, 2023|
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Cyber Florida Announces Start-Up Seed Fund Pilot Program

Cyber Florida today announced the Seed Fund Pilot Program launch, a new initiative to support Florida-based researchers and emerging entrepreneurs in commercializing their cybersecurity technical innovations, launching new businesses, and helping secure critical infrastructure.

Modeled after the federal Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Phase I programs, the Seed Fund Pilot is intended to complement and amplify other statewide efforts to encourage innovation, such as the Florida High-Tech Corridor, I-Corps, and incubators and accelerators around the state, by filling in the missing pieces of seed funding and mentoring for commercialization.

The effort will focus on mentoring new entrepreneurs to help them establish businesses centered on cybersecurity technical solutions and services. The program will advance Cyber Florida’s legislative mission by facilitating research sharing between businesses and universities, attracting cybersecurity companies to Florida, and helping innovative cybersecurity businesses to emerge in Florida.

During the inaugural year, Cyber Florida will evaluate applications and grant approximately $240,000 in total seed funding to be distributed among four emerging companies that are registered and operating in Florida. Like SBIR programs, Cyber Florida will take no equity or realize any return from these investments. To learn more about this new program and download the application packet, please visit https://cyberflorida.org/seedfund.

2023-05-30T13:24:14-04:00May 30, 2023|
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4202 E. Fowler Avenue, ISA7020
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