Students at Shadow Ridge High School are proving that cybersecurity skills are just as competitive and exciting as traditional sports. Through multiple national cyber competitions, students from the school’s cybersecurity program regularly test their skills against teams from across the country and even at the college level.
Cybersecurity competitions challenge students to solve real-world digital security problems. Competitors might have to find vulnerabilities in computer systems, defend networks from simulated attacks, decode encrypted messages, or track down hidden information in complex digital environments. These events help students learn skills that are widely used in careers such as cybersecurity, computer science, and digital forensics.
Lloyd Mann, Cybersecurity teacher, states, “We participate in these cyber competitions every year – CyberPatriot, National Cyber League (both Fall and Spring seasons), National Cyber Cup, and University of Alabama CTF (which we just did). Also, we try to find college-level CTFs to do occasionally, like UConn’s CyberSeed and UCSB’s iCTF.”
CyberPatriot is one of the largest cybersecurity competitions for high school students in the United States. Teams must secure computer systems and protect them from simulated cyberattacks within a limited amount of time.
National Cyber League runs in both fall and spring seasons. This competition focuses on real-world cybersecurity tasks such as ethical hacking, password cracking, and network analysis. These activities allow students to practice the same kinds of skills used by professional cybersecurity experts.
Benjamin Guerrero, senior, states, “It was a whole lot of fun, like every year!”
National Cyber Cup, along with capture-the-flag-style challenges hosted by universities. Capture-the-flag competitions, often called CTFs, involve solving digital puzzles and security problems to find hidden “flags” within computer systems.
The Shadow Ridge team even competes in events organized by universities, including competitions from University of Alabama, University of Connecticut, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Participating in college-level competitions gives students a chance to challenge themselves against more advanced teams and gain valuable experience.
The results of this hard work have been impressive. In the most recent national rankings for high school cybersecurity teams, Shadow Ridge placed 6th in the nation, showing that the school’s students are among the top young cybersecurity competitors in the country.
Zachary Finger, says, “All of us tried our hardest and did pretty well to get 6th place.”
Programs like the one at Shadow Ridge help prepare students for the growing field of cybersecurity, where skilled professionals are in high demand. By competing in national events and tackling real-world digital challenges, these students are gaining experience that could lead to future careers protecting computer systems, networks, and sensitive information.
