National High School Cyber Security Challenge Goes International

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Force Association is proud to announce that this year's CyberPatriot competition has more than 1,000 teams registered, comprised not only of U.S. students, but also several Canadian teams.

CyberPatriot IV welcomes a contingent of five teams from the province of Manitoba, Canada, participating in CyberPatriot's initial international expansion. Sisler High School, Arts and Technology Centre, and Technical Vocational High School in Winnipeg; Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler; and Morden Collegiate in Morden will compete alongside the competition's Open Division.

Besides having teams representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, CyberPatriot also has teams in Puerto Rico and U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in both Europe and the Pacific. But this is the competition's first effort to include a non-U.S. affiliated school.

"I am very pleased with the growth of this program, seeing that it is not only reaching all 50 states here in this country, but attracting educators and students beyond our borders," said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. "Cyber security is a global concern and this program is equipping thousands of students with the technical basics to better protect themselves."

Established by the Air Force Association (AFA), CyberPatriot is the nation's largest and fastest growing high school cyber security challenge. Its unique structure provides students hands-on learning about cyber defense while competing virtually against their peers and introduces many to the idea of cyber security as a profession.

Online preliminary rounds begin October 28 for the All Service Division and November 4 for the Open Division, where hundreds of teams will defend simulated computer networks from real-life computer threat scenarios, racing against the clock to fix weaknesses in assigned systems.

CyberPatriot is presented by Northrop Grumman, with founding partners SAIC and the CIAS at the University of Texas-San Antonio. CyberPatriot is also a member of the U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC), a national coalition of public-private sector entities collaborating to enhance the workforce with the next generation of cyber security professionals through skill development activities, mentoring, and resources, and the facilitation of scholarship, internship and employment opportunities.

More information is available at www.uscyberpatriot.org.

The AFA is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA has over 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing 120,000 members. Visit www.AFA.org.

SOURCE Air Force Association