Westerville City Schools will host a cyber capture the flag event as part of the Ohio Cyber Collaboration Committee’s (OC3) Cyber Range. The event on Tuesday, March 6, will test students’ skills at defending against cyberattacks.
Opening remarks will begin at 9:00 a.m. at Westerville North High School, located at 950 County Line Road. Major General Mark E. Bartman, Ohio adjutant general, and Dr. John Kellogg, Westerville City Schools superintendent, will be among those making remarks. A media availability and an opportunity to observe students during the competition will follow.
OC3, a collaborative effort of more than 100 public, private, military and educational organizations led by the Ohio National Guard, was initiated by Governor John Kasich to develop a stronger cybersecurity infrastructure and provide innovative training and education to strengthen Ohio’s cyber workforce. The OC3 Cyber Range is a virtual training ground accessible for competitions, training and as a testing environment for schools, governments and businesses.
During the daylong capture the flag event, students Westerville City Schools and other Central Ohio school districts and colleges will work in teams of two to solve a series of real-world scenarios to test their technical skills and knowledge of cybersecurity. Teams can retrieve virtual flags when they successfully solve the challenges, and prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place finishers.
“This is the third of what will be many cybersecurity contests available to students across the state to spark their interest in this growing technology field,” Major General Bartman said. “As we implement more phases of the state’s new cyber range, there will be a virtual environment available to nurture research, development and an innovative approach to cybersecurity that will put Ohio at the forefront of cyber excellence.”
The inaugural cyber competition was hosted by Columbus State Community College on December 1, 2017, with nearly 60 college and high school students participating.
In addition to the Cyber Range and improving the training and education of users and students in cybersecurity, OC3 has also developed goals to establish volunteer cyber incident response teams and identify and share best practices, policies and technologies for all Ohioans.
Learn more and register online at http://www.westerville.k12.oh.us/Content2/capture-challenge.
For further information, please contact: