UNG second in NSA Codebreaker Challenge
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (UNG) finished second out of 448 colleges and universities in the 2023 National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge, which ran from Sept. 28 through Jan. 11. It also was the top senior military college (SMC) in the competition, and Texas A&M's ninth-place finish made it the only other SMC in the top 25.
A total of 241 UNG students tallied 90,342 points. Georgia Tech won the event with 176,787 points. SANS Technology Institute took third, and University of California, Santa Cruz, and Dakota State University rounded out the top five.
"Our students consistently show themselves to be among the best in the country in cybersecurity competitions like the NSA Codebreaker Challenge," Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and coordinator of student cybersecurity programs, said. "The combination of classroom learning and hands-on experiences we provide at UNG prepares these students to face today's toughest cyber challenges."
UNG's standout performance in the NSA Codebreaker Challenge fits with President Michael Shannon's strategic big bet for the university to "Get in the National Security Game," which is outlined in his white paper "Bold Forward: Running into Our Calling."
Ada Arcinas, a sophomore from Dahlonega, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, said the support of UNG's faculty helped her excel in the competition.
Our students consistently show themselves to be among the best in the country in cybersecurity competitions like the NSA Codebreaker Challenge. The combination of classroom learning and hands-on experiences we provide at UNG prepares these students to face today's toughest cyber challenges.
Dr. Bryson Payne
UNG professor of computer science and coordinator of student cybersecurity programs
"The NSA Codebreaker Challenge was incredibly difficult, but it forced me to really take my time to think and play around with the possibilities," Arcinas said. "It's satisfying finding the right answers even though the process of figuring out each challenge was brutal."
Scott Snow, a senior from Sugar Valley, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity and a minor in computer science, was one of UNG's top performers in the NSA Codebreaker Challenge. His goal is to work at a government agency when he graduates. Snow said UNG's faculty paved the way for the strong showing.
"It gives me a major sense of confidence knowing I have been prepared by great individuals," Snow said. "I have full faith and confidence that UNG has set me on the road to success through the cybersecurity program."
Snow attended a summer NSA GenCyber Warrior Academy at UNG as a high school student, leading him to apply to only UNG when it came time for college.
This year's challenge was based on a real-life event. In the simulation, a spy balloon of unknown origin was caught capturing and transmitting signals, and the competitors had to break into the network and shut it down. The competition was broken into nine tasks with escalating point values. UNG had 24 students complete the first six tasks, and five of those 24 also completed the seventh task.
After leading for most of the event's first 40 days, UNG maintained a steady hold on second place through most of the remainder of the 105-day event before a late surge by SANS Institute briefly dropped UNG to third. UNG students finished strong on the challenge's final day to reclaim second place. UNG won the NSA Codebreaker Challenge in 2019 and 2020, and it took second place in 2021 and third place in 2018.
"We take it very seriously," Snow said. "We had a legacy to uphold."
Students who completed the most tasks spent hundreds of hours on the NSA competition.
UNG cyber students also benefit from professional development, conference opportunities and competition support from the university's Institute for Cyber Operations, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
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