Florida Polytechnic University students recently faced a high-stakes cybersecurity challenge, working to defend a simulated company network at the highly competitive Southeast Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC).
The University’s Cybersecurity Club went head-to-head with nine leading programs from across the Southeast during the March 21-22 event at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
After a strong showing in the qualifiers, the team entered the event as a dark horse contender and gained valuable experience against some of the region’s top programs. It was Florida Poly’s second consecutive year qualifying for the elite competition, where only one team earns a spot at the national championship in Texas this April.
“Overall, this was a valuable experience for the students and it significantly strengthened their technical and operational skills,” said Dr. Mohammad Farmani, assistant professor of cybersecurity engineering and the club’s faculty advisor. “We are already building on this for next year’s competition.”
The SECCDC competition recreates real-world cybersecurity scenarios, challenging teams to defend live networks against sophisticated attacks while responding to simulated business requests.
“At one point when you start getting relaxed and things are going well, a team of at least 30 professionals will hack into every team and all of their systems all at once, messing everything up,” said James Young, the team’s captain and a senior majoring in applied mathematics. “They can turn everything off or replace your entire operating system with Galaga.”
During the competition, systems are continually checked to ensure they remain online, while teams must also tackle a host of unexpected side assignments that test their problem-solving and forensics skills.
“Competitions like this give students experience that is very similar to what cybersecurity professionals face in the real world,” Farmani said.
Ellie de Berry, a sophomore majoring in cybersecurity engineering, joined the competition team this season.
“There’s more happening on the machines than you can keep track of,” she said. “You have to piece together what you can and try to retrace the hackers’ steps because no matter what’s happening during the competition, it’s kind of designed to make you feel like you’re failing because they’re going to be in the system no matter what.”
However, de Berry said the experience is worth the pressure.
“It’s really intense, but it’s also really exciting,” she said. “You learn a lot in a short amount of time and you see how much you’ve grown.”
With more than 105 registered members, Florida Poly’s Cybersecurity Club – the largest on campus – meets multiple times each week to explore offensive and defensive cybersecurity techniques, work on club projects, and prepare for events like SECCDC.
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
