- July 27, 2009
Sen. Carper Announces Cyber Challenge In Delaware
WASHINGTON – Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) announced today that the Center for Strategic and International Studies selected the State of Delaware as the first state partner that will help lead the new U.S. Cyber Challenge. The goal of the Cyber Challenge is to identify and nurture America’s top young people destined for careers in cyber security.
Recognizing that the United States is not training enough students in math and science, the. Cyber Challenge will encourage high school and college students to learn advanced skills to protect computer networks. This program will develop their skills, give them access to advanced education and exercises, and connect them with colleges and employers where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation.
“Every month we read more and more about cyber attacks against private citizens, companies, and even our government,” said Sen. Carper. “Unfortunately, our country doesn’t have enough people who really know how to defend our critical networks from these types of attacks. I am proud that Delaware – once again – has been named as a state to help the United States continue be the most competitive and most secure nation in cyberspace today.”
“Protecting the public is one of government’s most fundamental responsibilities,” said Gov. Jack Markell (D-Del.). “It is not enough to just worry about the criminals on the street. We also have to be prepared to protect Delawareans from on-line threats.”
The University of Delaware and Wilmington University have been chosen as locations for the challenge and will be models to build a new talent pool.
The program has many elements for young people in Delaware, including:
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Selected Delaware high schools will take part in CyberPatriot, the High School Cyber Defense Competition conducted by the Air Force Association. This is a competition in computer system and network defense where competitors attempt to analyze the security state of the competition network and then secure the systems while maintaining services and responding to hostile attacks.
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High school and college students, as well as some young professionals, will take part in the DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge conducted by the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center. This is a competition in digital forensics where, in increasingly challenging scenarios, contestants attempt to uncover evidence on digital media, much like crime scene investigative shows on TV. Whether it is an intrusion by a nation state or a child pornography investigation, digital forensics is the key to answering the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” questions.
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College students and young professionals will take part in the Network Attack Competition conducted by the SANS Institute. This is a competition in network vulnerability discovery and exploitation.
These competitions are not looking for individual winners, but rather for promising talent. Young Delawareans who do well in the competition will have many additional opportunities, including:
1. Participating in Delaware Cyber Camps, including opportunities to learn and participate in more advanced competitions.
2. Opportunities to earn internships with key Delaware employers.
3. Opportunities to earn special recognition in the competition for placement at Delaware’s top colleges.
4. Opportunities to earn full scholarships and to attend advanced cyber security classes.
5. Opportunities to compete for internships with America’s top cyber security employers, including the Department of Energy National Laboratories and the National Security Agency.
More information about the competitions can be found at the U.S. Cyber Challenge website at www.csis.org/uscc. The Delaware state coordinator for the program is Elayne Starkey who can be reached at Elayne.Starkey@state.de.us for additional information.