Cyberbit Launches First Hyper-Realistic Cyber Security Tournament for Higher Education

BOSTON, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyberbit, provider of the world's leading cyber readiness and skills development platform, has announced the International Cyber League: Collegiate Cup, launching October 18^th, 2022.

The ICL: Collegiate Cup reinvents cyber security competition formats by immersing students in real-world attacks that mirror the ones they will encounter in their jobs. Traditional capture the flag (CTF) tournaments and hacking competitions test offensive skills which do not reflect the capabilities that students will be required to demonstrate throughout their careers. Unlike traditional cyber competitions, ICL leverages a hyper-realistic cyber range, simulating cyberattacks using real threat vectors and malware, and places students in a virtual security operations center (SOC) to respond to the threats using the commercial security tools they will be using on the job. Students are not only tested for technical skills but also for soft skills like teamwork and communications, which are critical for next-generation cyber defenders. This way, ICL provides a reliable benchmark for cyber security education leaders to predict their students' future success and enables students to experience real-world incident response firsthand.

The number of open cyber security positions in North America exceeds 714,000, according to cyberseek.org. According to the New England Institute of Technology, this skill shortage drives an increase in the need for qualified graduates, with cybersecurity salaries typically ranging from $85,000 to $130,000 per year. By simulating real-world scenarios, ICL: Collegiate Cup allows students to prove they are qualified for high-paying cyber defense positions in the corporate and government sectors.  

ICL: Colleague Cup is open to students in an undergraduate, B.Sc., or associate program at a college or a university anywhere in the world. Every participating institution is represented by a team of four. The winning team will be crowned "Higher Education's Best Cyber Defense Team." Winners and runners-up will be awarded high-value prizes, including high-end laptops, sports watches, tablets, and more. Tournament themes include networking, malware analysis, Windows and Linux OS skills, and incident response. During the challenges, participants will be provided with market-leading security products, including a commercial SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), Firewall, network analysis tools and endpoint security, to operate the challenges.                             

This is the second ICL that Cyberbit will run in 2022. Earlier this year, Cyberbit concluded a global competition for corporate and government cyber defense teams, which attracted over 200 teams, and received rave reviews.  The Cyberbit platform powers the tournament, the world's leading skill development and learning platform, used by hundreds of corporate, state, and government teams and higher education institutions worldwide. These include Purdue University, the University of Maine at Augusta, and Miami Dade College.

Sharon Rosenman, Cyberbit CMO, said: "We designed ICL: Collegiate Cup to validate the skills that students will need to demonstrate in their future workplace, and these are not hacking skills, but cyber defense skills. We're placing them in a virtual arena and running live cyberattacks, so students who excel at ICL can confidently say they are prepared for their careers. "

Registration for ICL: Collegiate Cup 2022 is open. Cyber security education leaders and faculty who want to sign up their institution or learn more about the event should visit this registration link.

About Cyberbit
Cyberbit provides hands-on cybersecurity education and training and addresses the global cybersecurity skill gap through its world-leading cyber range platform. Colleges and universities use Cyberbit Range to increase student enrollment and retention, train industry organizations, and position their institutions as regional cybersecurity hubs by providing simulation-based learning and training. The Cyberbit Range platform delivers a hyper-realistic experience that immerses learners in a virtual security operations center (SOC), where they use real-world security tools to respond to real-world, simulated cyberattacks. As a result, it prepares students for their careers in cybersecurity from day one after graduation and reduces the need to learn on the job. Cyberbit delivers over 100,000 training sessions annually across five continents. Customers include Fortune 500 companies, MSSPs, system integrators, higher education institutions and governments. Cyberbit is headquartered in Israel with offices in the US, Europe, and Asia.

If you would like more information about Cyberbit, please contact Sharon Rosenman, Chief Marketing Manager, Cyberbit at [email protected].

SOURCE Cyberbit