Cyber Success

ECU team finishes in top 2% of national cybersecurity competition

A team of East Carolina University students finished in the top 2% of the country during the National Cyber League’s national cybersecurity competition Nov. 8-10.

“We’re thrilled with our standing among so many strong competitors this semester,” said Justin Lopez, president of ECU’s Cyber Competition Club and an information and cybersecurity technology major.

Justin Lopez, president of ECU’s Cyber Competition Club, works during a National Cyber League competition in the Science and Technology Building.

ECU entered two teams in the competition that featured 4,898 teams. The A team was comprised of upperclassmen and experienced competitors — Lopez, Bryan Bell, Walter Gaylor, Vadim Komshin, Cristopher Lovett and Jacob Pennington.

“This competition was an intense, 72-hour test of everything from network penetration and cryptography to web exploitation and reverse engineering, and our team tackled each challenge with a level of dedication that made me proud,” Lopez said. “We were all super excited to compete, and some of us were nervous, but everyone who competed are people who love to challenge themselves, and I really love that about the students here at ECU.”

The members of the B team included Aaron Goodwin, Kenneth Huggins, Diego Reveles, Blake Johnson, Anthony Gianquinto, Henry Hickman and William Kelly-Crapse. Lopez said the group of younger students gained valuable experience that will pay off in future competitions.

“I think one of the biggest things that students struggle with is being intimidated. We have a lot of new people, and so for me, it was very important that I encourage as many people as I could to compete,” he said. “Even if they were new to cybersecurity, it allows them to see where they’re at so that they can improve on things.”

He said one thing he’s learned over the years is to take breaks during the competition.

“I would just hack for 24 hours straight, but I realized you’re going to burn out, so in these competitions, it’s super important to make time for yourself,” he said. “It’s good to eat right and take care of yourself. You can be hacking for five or six hours and can’t figure it out, but if you go on a five-minute walk, call your mom — something as small as that — and then come back to the computer, you can figure it out.”

He said the competition exposes students to cybersecurity issues they may encounter in the real world. As an example, he cited a website that restricts the number of products that can be purchased.

“These attacks in the real world would be someone buying a product off a website, but instead of buying one thing, they’re actually buying 20 different things for the price of one,” Lopez said. “It’s a very interesting challenge.”

The team competition came just a few weeks after Bell, Gaylor, Komshin, Lopez and Lovett each placed in the top 15% of NCL’s individual games competition. That event included about 8,000 students from across the country.

ECU’s club meets from noon to 2 p.m. each Friday in Room 242 of the Science and Technology Building. The meetings provide members a chance to network, share information on a variety of cybersecurity topics and news, work on projects and even get information on resumes, interview techniques and job searches. Joseph Jeansonne, teaching instructor in the Department of Technology Systems, serves as the club’s faculty advisor.

Lopez said he’s been excited to see the club grow from seven members last year to 34 as 2025 approaches.

“I’m a graduating senior, and that’s one of the things I wanted was more students to be part of the program,” he said.

He said the growing membership and team’s placement in national competitions illustrate the skills of ECU students as well as the strength of the information and cybersecurity program.

“Our placement this semester shows the potential ECU has on the national stage,” he said. “My hope is that future members will carry this momentum forward until one day we’re a top 10 team. We’re laying the groundwork, and I’m excited to see how this club evolves over the years.”

Members of ECU’s Cyber Competition Club meet in the Science and Technology Building. The club meets regularly at noon on Fridays in the cybersecurity lab.