Students display, learn skills at cybersecurity competition

East Carolina University’s first Cyber Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition filled every seat in the ballroom of the Main Campus Student Center.

And according to Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, adjutant general of the N.C. National Guard that helped sponsor the event, that’s a good thing.

Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, adjutant general of the N.C. National Guard, welcomes students before the start of the competition.

“We are challenged in the cyber domain every single day,” he told students during his opening remarks. “No matter if you’re in the banking industry, insurance industry or health care, you are challenged on the internet every single day. And we need strong, mentally right Americans like yourselves to take that challenge and stop the threat, whatever that might be. Whether it’s malware, ransomware or a foreign country interfering with what we’re trying to do as Americans, we need people like you.”

The event on Friday maxed out with 87 participants from 11 institutions, including UNC system schools such as Appalachian State, North Carolina A&T and UNC-Wilmington, and community colleges from Pitt, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Lenoir, Wake and Wayne counties.

As part of the event, students had to defend computer networks against real-world cyberattack scenarios, testing their skills in cybersecurity technology while competing for prizes. They also listened to presentations and engaged with leaders and vendors in cybersecurity operations, intelligence and academic research.

“You will be challenged. I will tell you that,” Hunt, a 1989 ECU graduate in geology, told participants. “The main thing to gain out of this is not just whether you win, lose or draw but to learn something. And the other thing you should gain from this is networking because we have some great people here.”

Logan Klaproth, an ECU information and cybersecurity technology senior from Charlotte, said the event was his first cybersecurity competition.

“I wasn’t really exposed to much of this growing up, so I’m glad that I’m being exposed to it now,” he said. “It’s just a really exciting event. We’ve got a lot of good people and good vendors.”

He said his teaching instructor, David Carraway, encouraged him to participate.

Jackson Barbour, left, and Logan Klaproth, both information and cybersecurity technology students at ECU, laugh as they work on laptops during the competition.

“I think just being exposed to the kind of technology and the different processes that are being used in here, like for example Hack the Box, that’s a great platform for developing skills,” Klaproth said. “And it’s good to see a lot of people come and form a community to work under that same scope, because we all share the same interests and same ideas. That way, we’re able to learn and develop off each other. I think it’s a very beneficial experience for everyone involved.”

Harvey White III, a first semester information and cybersecurity technology transfer student from Pitt Community College in Greenville, said the competition provided opportunities for him to explore the worlds of cybersecurity and tech support.

“I wanted to network with different agencies but also wanted to develop my skills at the same time,” he said.

Audrey Mitchell, an ECU junior transfer student majoring in math from Nashville, Tennessee, called the competition a chance for her to expand her horizons.

“There is a lot of overlap between computer science and math,” she said. “I try to be as well-rounded as possible, and this is one of those ways. Just because a job says that it’s for a specific major doesn’t mean that as a math major I’m not qualified. It’s always good to explore options.”

The event also allowed participants to explore the use of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks and in cyber defense.

“Especially with AI, oh my gosh,” Klaproth said. “The kind of attacks that people are going to be defending against in the future, the stuff that I’ll see in my lifetime, I’m sure, will be out of this world. It’s insane.”

That’s just one of the reasons Klaproth knows cybersecurity is a career worth pursuing.

“Every company, if you could set up a network and if it works, sure. But if someone unrelated or unaffiliated can come in and compromise said network, then do you really have a network? Is it yours if you can’t keep it? That’s what I always tell myself,” he said. “If you can secure your pieces and defend them, then you’re able to keep it. That’s just how it is.”

Beyond the N.C. National Guard, the event had support of Department of Technology Systems faculty and staff, the College of Engineering and Technology Student Success Center, ECU’s cyber competition student organization, and ECU Information and Technology and Computing Services staff.

The ECU Cyber Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition featured a full field of 87 participants.