Jayhackers take 2nd and 3rd at CANSec Conference Cyber Defense Competition

A group of six students from the BSIT program and 12 students from the CS program traveled in late October to the University of Missouri Science and Technology (S&T) in Rolla, Missouri in to participate in a Cyber Defense Competition. Ten teams from KU, Kansas State University, University of Memphis, Missouri S&T, UMKC and Truman State University spent seven hours securing virtual machines and defending a virtual network from outside attackers, all while trying to keep their business services available. KU EECS teams placed 2nd and 3rd at this competition. While the activities may seem to be focused on security, managing and configuring operating systems, understanding how networks work and being able to analyze code are all important components of success at these competitions. Competitors have skill levels ranging from very little knowledge about security all the way to Security and Information Technology enthusiasts. “The other members, who were more experienced or knowledgeable in our team, were always ready to assist in answering any questions I had,” said Adrianna Williams, a first-time competitor. “Though I was lacking in skill, I was still able to contribute whatever skill set I had in working with our team to help fill in important gaps that, in the end, helped us win 2nd place.” The BSIT team, which took 2nd place at CANSec included Doug Van Allen, Zach Welk, Katelyn Dean, Adrianna Williams, and Judson King. The two Lawrence teams, taking 3rd and 6th, included Cedric Starks, Chase Odgers, Colin Floyd, Daniel Stone, Dmitri Smith, Doug Newman, Gage Benne, Michael Wang, Morgan Wright, Noah Brabec, Shashank Sambamoorthy, and Thor Lyche. A team from the Lawrence Campus and the Edwards Campus will travel to compete at Iowa State University in February 2018 and then to compete in the regional collegiate competition in mid-March. While the two campuses are separate, they have the same goal: a first-place win at both competitions and winning the National Cyber Defense Competition in San Antonio.