Western Union Incident Response Team Wins International Cyber League Powered by Cyberbit and Miami Dade College

BOSTON and MIAMI, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Union was announced the winner of the International Cyber League (ICL) Americas Cyber Cup, a hyper-realistic cybersecurity competition. The ICL tested the skills of cyber defense teams from around the world by immersing them in a cyber range, which required them to defend against real-world simulated cyberattacks like the ones they may encounter on the job.

The competition was hosted by Miami-Dade College (MDC), home of the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, and by Cyberbit, provider of the leading cybersecurity skill development platform. Over 100 SOC and incident response teams competed in three rounds of challenges, which included individual skill assessment in cyber labs as well as live-fire team simulations in a cyber range. All labs, cyber range exercises and simulations were powered by Cyberbit's skill development platform, which is normally used by corporations and higher education institutions to develop cybersecurity skills.

Skills that were put to the test included proficiency in security tools such as SIEM platforms, firewalls, and endpoint detection and response (EDR), technical skills such as forensic analysis, malware analysis, and decryption, teamwork skills, ability to defend against nation state APTs (advanced persistent threats) and more.

"We're absolutely thrilled to have won the ICL Americas Cyber Cup", said Andrej Larionov, Information Security Manager at Western Union. "Our team's hard work, dedication and perseverance truly made this possible. Regular training on the Cyberbit platform leveled up our game and allowed us to tackle even the most complex cyber scenarios presented during this competition. Big cheers to Cyberbit and Miami-Dade College for hosting this intense competition! It was tough, but it brought out the best in us!"

The second-place winners of the ICL Americas Cyber Cup were North Dakota Information Technology, followed by Telecity Group in third place and GM Financial in fourth place. respectively.

"Our team thoroughly enjoyed participating in the ICL Americas Cyber Cup championship and competing against other teams", said Chris Gergen, Director of Cyber Operations (Coach) North Dakota Cyber Operations Center. "The live-fire exercises provide a unique opportunity to 'train like we fight' and put our teamwork and skillsets to the test. Our team's outstanding performance underscores our" commitment to excellence in the field of cybersecurity and reinforces our dedication to fostering top-tier talent. We'll be back next year!"

"The immense participation and success of the ICL Americas Cyber Cup demonstrated the desire that organizations have to assess and improve their cybersecurity skills," said Jorge Ortega, Director of MDC's Cybersecurity Center of the Americas. "Miami Dade College is steadfast in its commitment to helping organizations, of all sizes, improve their level of cyber readiness by providing hyper realistic, hands-on training programs and competitions via Cyberbit's cyber range."

The ICL Americas Cyber Cup is a part of the International Cyber League (ICL), a global cybersecurity competition that is organized by Cyberbit. The ICL tests the skills of SOC and incident response teams and helps them improve their ability to defend against cyber-attacks. Participants of ICLs gain hands-on experience with real-world cyber-attacks in a hyper-realistic environment that simulates an end-to-end attack.

Sharon Rosenman, Chief Marketing Officer at Cyberbit said: "Cyberbit's platform is typically used to run cyber security skill development programs for enterprise SOCs and for universities, but we found that it also works great as a competition platform. This is our sixth ICL and what was evident this time is that all teams who made it to the top 4 have been running cyber range training before the competition. This proves that ongoing practice in simulated environments is a key factor for cyber readiness. We were thrilled to partner with Miami Dade College – Cybersecurity Center of the Americas to run this event. This is a team of pro's, leading the way in Florida as far as cybersecurity training and education."

For more information about the ICL Americas Cyber Cup, please visit: https://icl.cyberbit.com/icl-america-cup/

About Cyberbit

Cyberbit provides the market-leading cybersecurity skill development platform. The platform uses a hyper-realistic cyber range to simulate live-fire attack scenarios accurately, on-demand. The rich catalog of courses and exercises available on the platform provide objective assessments, accelerate onboarding, increase security team performance, improve teamwork, and enhance evaluation, hiring, and certification processes. Customers are spread across 5 continents and include leading Fortune 500 companies, MSSPs, system integrators, academies, and governments. Cyberbit is headquartered in Israel with offices in the US, Europe, and Asia.

For more information about Cyberbit, please visit www.cyberbit.com

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About Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College (MDC) is the most diverse institution in the nation, with 167 nations and 63 languages represented in its student body. The college's eight campuses and outreach centers offer over 300 distinct degree pathways, including associate and baccalaureate degrees, certifications, and apprenticeships. MDC is the recipient of many top national awards, including the prestigious Aspen Prize. The College changes lives through accessible, high-quality teaching and learning experiences. It is home to the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, The Idea Center, the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, two AI Centers, the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation at the Medical Campus, the Business Innovation & Technology Center, the School for Advanced Studies and New World School of the Arts, among others. MDC has been recognized among the nation's "Great Colleges to Work For" since the program's inception. The College serves as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community. MDC alumni and employees contribute more than $3 billion annually to the local economy, and graduates occupy top leadership positions in every major industry. MDC's renowned rich cultural programming includes the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, Live Arts Miami at MDC, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, and the Museum of Art and Design. MDC has admitted more than 2.5 million students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960. Approximately 120,000 students are currently enrolled. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu.  

Contact:
Sharon Rosenman
sharon.rosenman@cyberbit.com

SOURCE Cyberbit