Hallmark University To Compete in Southwest Regional Cybersecurity Competition
Hallmark University recently competed in the Southwest CCDC Qualifier, a competition that lets universities with cybersecurity programs compete against one another in a hack-defend scenario. This competition allows for schools to demonstrate the skills their students have attained in their curriculum in a more realistic environment. Eighteen institutions competed in the qualifier, with only eight advancing to the regional competition. Hallmark University was among the top eight schools that will compete in the next round, along with Baylor, UNT, UTSA, and others.
The competition itself involves two teams competing against one another, with one attacking and the other defending. The attacking team attempts to access the defender’s networks and steal confidential data, while the defenders attempt to keep them out for as long as possible. Hallmark University competed as the defender during the regional qualifier, using systems and servers located on the main campus.
This presents unique opportunities for the students who took part in the regional qualifier. John Lee, a Cisco Laboratory Technician for Hallmark University, said “This gives our students a lot of experience when putting it towards a job, and it’s a really great resume builder for them. Most of the time, there are usually a lot of job recruiters out at these events offering them jobs, giving them good exposure as well.”
The results of this competition have demonstrated the skills that students have developed in Hallmark’s cybersecurity program, which has trained them on how to react accordingly to serious security threats. The cybersecurity team from Hallmark University will be traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the regional competition from March 23rd to the 25th.