The annual U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) Cyber Camp will be at Moraine Valley from July 13 to 17.
The state’s top cybersecurity talent, including veterans, will gather July 13-17 at Moraine Valley Community College to participate in the annual U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) Cyber Camp. Throughout the weeklong event, individuals will participate in classes that cover subjects such as packet crafting and pen testing and compete in a virtual “capture the flag” competition to demonstrate their cybersecurity abilities in a free-form environment in hopes of winning scholarships.
“Our nation has a significant shortage of high-level cybersecurity professionals,” said Karen S. Evans, national director for U.S. Cyber Challenge. “Through the use of classroom instruction, labs and free-form competitions, we develop the skills of our camp participants to help them progress in their cybersecurity career and reduce the vulnerabilities we see every day for businesses, governments and individuals.”
USCC aims to identify and recruit the next generation of cybersecurity professionals across the country to fill a growing need in this field.
Over 20 individuals, including U.S. military veterans, will participate in this year’s Illinois USCC camp and competition. Attendees to the invitation-only camps were selected based in part on their scores from Cyber Quests, an online competition offered through USCC in April that drew more than 1,300 registrants from over 600 schools nationwide.
On Friday, July 17, participants will compete in a virtual “capture the flag” competition, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. in the Fogelson Theater on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy. in Palos Hills. Both the competition and ceremony are open to the news media.
The ceremony will include remarks from Dr. John Sands, director and principle investigator of Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA) NSF Regional Center; Dr. Sylvia M. Jenkins, president of Moraine Valley; Maurice Y. Uenuma, representative for the Center for Internet Security; Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas; and Evans.
For more information about the Cyber Camp program, visit www.uscyberchallenge.org.
