High school students don’t need to be good singers or dancers to win this talent competition; instead they must demonstrate the ability to fight crime.
Connecticut will participate in CyberStart America, an online cybersecurity talent search and competition open to all high school students who want to explore their knack for cybersecurity and computer science. Sponsored by the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation and the SANS Institute, any student in grades 9 through 12 will have the chance to win prizes and recognition for their schools, as well as scholarships for advanced training for themselves.
The program is a series of online challenges that allow students to act as cyber protection agents. They will be solving cybersecurity-related puzzles and explore related topics such as code breaking, programming, networking, and digital forensics. The program can be assigned as part of homework, can form the basis of an extracurricular club, or students can simply try it on their own.
Participating students and their teachers do not need knowledge or experience in information technology or cybersecurity to join. Everything they need to participate can be learned in the program, which is free for schools and students.
“Cybersecurity has become more and more important as our economy, workforce, and government use technology to function more efficiently,” says Gov. Ned Lamont. He asserts the state can’t “continue to implement more technology solutions without improving our cybersecurity programs at the same time.”
Cybersecurity is a critical issue not only facing the state but also the country. This growing field can lead to students finding successful careers protecting data and the operations of organizations like hospitals, schools, corporations, and government agencies. These skills are also needed by military and intelligence agencies for cyber conflict and defense.
Visit cyberstartamerica.org to learn more about CyberStart America and to register.