草莓视频 students won a regional cybersecurity competition and then finished in the top five nationally, when defending against sustained attacks in a true-to-life simulation of cybersecurity warfare.

鈥淥ne of the most challenging aspects of the competition was maintaining and defending multiple systems simultaneously while they were actively under attack,鈥 said team captain Anthony Wirsing, who recently earned a degree in Computer Science and is the former vice president of 鈥淭his required constant monitoring, quick decision-making and strong prioritization skills.鈥

At the National Centers of Academic Excellence (NCAE) Southeast 1 Regionals in February, the Embry-Riddle students not only took first place, but they were also the only team to earn more than 5,000 points in regional contests held remotely across the United States.

The Invitational Finals took place in late April at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The Embry-Riddle team was among 12 finalists from universities across the nation. The team earned a fourth-place finish.

Dr. Laxima Niure Kandel, assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and club faculty advisor, congratulated the team on their performance.

鈥淭hey followed a clear divide-and-conquer strategy, with each member leading a task while supporting one another as needed. Their skills and professionalism were outstanding,鈥 said Kandel. 鈥淭eams are hit hard by the Red Team attackers and must restore services to regain points. It is as real as it gets 鈥 intense and a lot of pressure.鈥

Wirsing called the competition 鈥渁n incredibly valuable learning experience.鈥

鈥淚t challenged me to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting,鈥 he added. 鈥淚 also strengthened my ability to work under pressure and communicate effectively with teammates. The experience helped me identify gaps in my knowledge and gave me a clearer direction for the skills I want to continue developing.鈥

The Embry-Riddle team that placed first at the regionals also included Botond Parkanyi, William Davis, Tyler Covell, George Pozek, Tiffany Flaherty, Nicolas Machado, Andrea Di Russo, Davian Rosario-Ortiz and Sirio Jansen-Sanchez. The finals competitors were Parkanyi, Davis, Covell, Pozek, Flaherty, Wirsing, Machado, Jansen-Sanchez, Justin Villa and Josiah White.