Regis University hosted the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (RMCCDC) for eight teams on March 26 and 27 to test their cybersecurity skills, knowledge and abilities under new conditions. For the first time in its 11 years, the competition was conducted virtually because of COVID restrictions.
On Thursday night, approximately 12 hours before the beginning of the competition, teams were briefed about the business scenario, using computers, printers and other electronic equipment as well as the applications and internet services needed to run a simulated business. Each team attempted 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 universities, businesses, government agencies and our nation in the years to come, and we are preparing them to do just that,” said Bob Bowles, director of Regis’ Center for Information Assurance Studies, who helped organize the event.
In January, a preliminary qualifying round narrowed the competition to Regis University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Colorado-Denver, Red Rocks Community College, Southern Utah University, Brigham Young University and Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College).
The RMCCDC goal is to choose the team with the best skills to move forward to the national event, said Bowles, noting that teamwork is essential.
“This competition tests a lot of skills in the moment, and one of the most important is how well individual teams work together,” Bowles said. “We always try to throw in something unique each year and this year, teams had to set up their own servers before they could proceed.”
“The teams had to build their environments then keep a fictional business operating while under an intense cyberattack,” Bowles said. “There is definitely a personality type — extreme risk takers — that gravitates to these games. The two days were intense for them because they had to face 58 injects which was 43 more injects than last year.”
While fending off cyberattacks from some of the areas most talented penetration testers, the teams had to simulate a normal workday, such as responding to a CEO’s sudden, deadline-driven request.
The competition is designed 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 like Brett Paglieri, a Regis senior who competed in his fourth cybersecurity contest.
“It has a positive impact on my preparedness to go into the industry and my career,” Paglieri said. “You learn real-world skills that you do not learn in the theoretical classroom.”
For Bowles, volunteering to host RMCCDC events is worth the added workload.
“Every year, our student teams compete using a business scenario the organizers concoct, but this year the RMCCDC organizers labored under similar conditions — we had to set up a two-day, completely virtual event,” said Bowles. “It required more coordination to pull it off.”
Annually, the competition requires the support of about 100 volunteers, including nearly a dozen who designed and configured the environment as well as those who role played during the event, scored the teams and more.
While fending off cyberattacks from some of the areas most talented penetration testers, the teams had to simulate a normal workday, such as responding to a CEO’s sudden, deadline-driven request.
“While we try to emphasize that our goal is to give them the opportunity to succeed at securing and managing a business environment in a fun and safe environment, the students get very wrapped up in it and want to do their best,” he said.
The competition requires the support of about 100 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. "We had a team of experts working for almost six months prior to the event in order to pull something this large and complex off," Fulton shared.
Fulton added, "Most of the volunteers are Regis students and affiliate faculty past and present. They are very dedicated. We could not do this without their help. They truly deserve my thanks and appreciation. I am constantly amazed at how many volunteer hours they dedicate to this event."
