University of Central Florida outlasted 197 other cybersecurity teams to win its sixth national championship last week.
The Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition Team, part of Hack@UCF, defeated nine other regional winners at the finals in San Antonio.
In a press release, professor and team coach Tom Nedorost praised his team’s performance.
“It’s an undeniable fact that UCF has the best cyber program, best students and best coaches in the nation,” he said.
The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition consists of 10 regional competitions across the country, with the winners of each competing in the national finals.
The event drew more than 2,100 competitors and is considered one of the largest of its kind.
Through these competitions, students gain skills and real-world experiences that make them highly attractive to potential employers.
“The scenario we developed for this elite group of students is very realistic,” said Dwayne Williams, director of the NCCDC. “The primary challenge this year is securing large amounts of personally identifiable information across different industries and states, but also dealing with a company acquisition while being targeted by bad actors. These unique challenges and hands-on experiences help each of these teams prepare for the real-world scenarios they will face after graduation.”