Ne Colorado News

For the 13th consecutive year, Regis University will host the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (RMCCDC) for eight teams in March to test their cybersecurity skills, knowledge, and abilities under challenging conditions.

This iconic event is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors; Raytheon Technologies, ISACA, The Denver Chapter, BATELLE, FORTRA, Palo Alto Networks, and the Cisco Networking Academy.

The RMCCDC competition will be held March 3 and 4 at the Regis Denver Tech Center Campus located in Greenwood Village. The top-performing team will represent the Rocky Mountain region at the national competition in April.

Each team will attempt to secure its business from cyberattacks waged by a team of 20 crafty volunteers attempting to break into the systems throughout the two days.

“Today’s student competitors will be protecting the universities, businesses, government agencies and our nation in the years to come, and we are preparing them to do that,” said Bob Bowles, director of Regis’ Center for Information Assurance Studies, who serves as the regional director for the event.

Regis’ seven-member team, gleaned from its Cyber Competition Club (CyComp), is ready to compete against the other schools representing the best in the Rocky Mountain region.

The teams competing are Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Ensign College, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado Denver, Utah Valley University, University of Kansas, and Regis University.

While fending off cyberattacks from some of the areas most talented penetration testers, the teams will have to simulate a normal workday, such as responding to a CEO’s sudden, deadline-driven request. 

The competition is supposed to be fun, but Bowles acknowledges students are pushed to their limits. The competition helps universities evaluate their cybersecurity programs and it prepares future cybersecurity leaders.

For Bowles, having Regis host the RMCCDC events is worth the added workload.

The RMCCDC helps fulfill one of Regis’ mission areas of “people helping people.”“It is an honor to assist in preparing these young men and woman’s cybersecurity career who will shortly be protecting our businesses, educational institutions, our city, county, state, and federal governments, and our great nation.”

The competition requires the support of about 60 volunteers, including nearly a dozen who designed and configured the environment as well as those who will role play during the event, score the teams and more. 

The winning team will be announced at the event’s conclusion, around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.

Original source can be found here.