Cyber students excel on national level

University of North Georgia (UNG) students pursuing bachelor's degrees in cybersecurity achieved impressive performances in competition and research events throughout the spring semester.

UNG led Georgia universities and tied for eighth nationally with eight students qualifying for National Cyber Scholarship Foundation scholarships through the 2022-23 Cyber FastTrack competition. That was more than a third of all recipients in Georgia, and Georgia Tech had the second-most qualifiers with seven.

"The continued investment from private industry and the federal government in UNG's cyber programs, plus the sustained top performance of our students in national-level competitions, shows that UNG is producing the next generation of cyber leaders," Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and coordinator of student cyber programs, said. "And our students are increasingly recognized as some of the best cyber competitors and professionals in the nation."

The success in Cyber FastTrack gives the students funding for a free SANS cyber training course and industry certification. Seniors Matthew Telfor and Robbie Ward accepted the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation scholarships toward their GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT) certification, which amounts to a training scholarship worth more than $3,000 per winner. Juniors Paul Kim and Smit Patel were recognized as National Cyber Scholars with Honors, earning them each a higher-level SANS training and certification worth more than $9,000.

The continued investment from private industry and the federal government in UNG's cyber programs, plus the sustained top performance of our students in national-level competitions, shows that UNG is producing the next generation of cyber leaders.

Dr. Bryson Payne

UNG professor of computer science and coordinator of student cyber programs

Students Daniel Cornett and Nathan Gavriliuc also shared their cyber research at the conference.

A team of UNG students finished second out of 118 teams nationally at the CyberSEED competition held virtually March 4. A total of 333 students made up the teams competing. The University of Connecticut sponsored the competition.

"This competition required a wide variety of skills. It called upon the students' acumen in reverse engineering, cryptography, programming, computer forensics, and network traffic analysis," Dr. John-David Rusk, assistant professor of computer science and cybersecurity and the team's coach, said.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was first, with Michigan Technological University third and University of Central Florida and Florida Institute of Technology rounding out the top five.

Team members Benjamin Huckaba, Houstoun Hall, Daniel Greeley, and Kim split the $2,500 second-place prize from the event.

"I encourage anyone interested in cybersecurity, regardless of skill, to compete," Kim, a sophomore from Cumming, Georgia, said. "There will always be something to learn through competition that you can't find in class."

Greeley, a senior from Buford, Georgia, also enjoyed the competition.

"UNG currently has a unique talent pool that has been well supported by professors who inspire and drive us to succeed beyond the expectations of our respective degrees," Greeley said. "Everyone on the team has exceptional skills, which allowed a great atmosphere of collaboration."

UNG also had teams place 53rd and 55th in the event.