{"id":57579,"date":"2014-02-25T15:54:14","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T20:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=57579"},"modified":"2019-07-26T10:47:42","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T14:47:42","slug":"student-club-creating-cyber-security-guardians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/student-club-creating-cyber-security-guardians\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Club Creating Cybersecurity Guardians"},"content":{"rendered":"
UCF student Carlos Beltran and his team of 15 computer enthusiasts spend about 20 hours a week working to keep computer systems safe from hackers.<\/p>\n
UCF\u2019s Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition Team meets two nights a week and all day on Saturdays to practice against cyber attacks. That\u2019s in addition to all their classes and other extracurricular activities. This is one dedicated group.<\/p>\n
Things get intense during their practice sessions. The jargon flies as students click away on keyboards while Beltran tries to distract them by barking other instructions\u2014such as to create a website or set up a group email for a client. A few states away, an infiltrator is trying to break into their systems. The team reacts and races to secure the network before the hacker can do any damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to recreate a corporate environment here and simulate what their IT people face in the real world,\u201d Beltran said. \u201cIt\u2019s great practice and gets us ready for competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hard work has paid off. After being in existence for only a year, the team placed first in the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition and 10th in the nation last year. The competition sponsors included the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Deloitte, Dell, Splunk, Walmart, Boeing, Juniper and McAfee among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir dedication, professionalism, and teamwork is exceptional,\u201d said faculty sponsor and computer science lecturer Thomas Nedorost. \u201cThey are passionate about what they are doing and it shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team is gearing up for a new season, which begins March 8. If it wins the preliminary and regional rounds, it qualifies for another run at the national title in April.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting,\u201d said Beltran who is majoring in Information Technology with a minor in Secure Computing and Networking. \u201cI love this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n