Radford University places third in Virginia Cyber Cup Challenge

The Cyber Defense Club at Radford University placed third at the Virginia Cyber Cup Capture the Flag Competition held at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, earlier in the Spring 2020 semester.

The team included Kyle Higginbotham, Victoria Williamson, Alex Largen, John Laws, Nolan Ierardi and Sean Anderson. Amanda Tolman was an observer student. Professor of Information Technology Chen-Chi Shing, Ph.D. was the team’s coach.

In the Virginia Cyber Cup Capture the Flag (CTF) Competition, teams tackle scenarios designed to simulate real-world computer security challenges across a range of categories that include cryptography, network traffic analysis, reverse engineering and steganography. With challenges ranging from introductory to advanced, this competition is designed to both test skills and teach concepts.

The competition, developed and hosted by the Virginia Cyber Range, is part of Commonwealth Cyber Fusion, an invitation-only event that combines a collegiate cyber competition with learning and career opportunities that emphasize Cyber Fusion. The event was cohosted by Virginia Military Institute, U. S. Senator Mark Warner and the Virginia Cyber Range.

This is the fourth iteration of the competition. In the past, the Radford University teams placed second in 2017, third in 2018 and sixth in 2019.