PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C., March 28, 2018 – U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) opened registration for the 2018 Cyber Quests online competition. The annual Cyber Quests competition determines who qualifies for the U.S. Cyber Challenge Summer Cyber Camps, a leading nationwide program in cybersecurity workforce development. While registration is now open, the actual competition will open on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, with the competition closing on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. To register and compete, visit uscc.cyberquests.org. Everyone is welcome to participate in this free competition.

The Cyber Quests competition and USCC camps are designed to improve cybersecurity skills, provide training & mentorship from renowned instructors and highlight skills for potential employers. For this specific Cyber Quest, competitors will follow the history of cryptography and cryptanalysis by looking at these systems and decrypting the messages to progress through the challenge.   

For Cyber Quests, participants will have 24-hours to complete the competition, beginning from the time they begin answering questions. Winners are determined based on who achieves the highest score in the shortest amount of time, and top performers who are 18 years or older and U.S. citizens will be eligible to receive an invitation to one of the week-long Cyber Camps offered across the country. The four camps will be hosted by Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Park, Illinois), Southern Utah University in collaboration with Cheyenne High School (North Las Vegas, NV), Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), and Wilmington University (Dover, DE).

Those who attend a USCC Cyber Camp will receive high level instruction from some of the nation’s most talented cybersecurity teachers and practitioners, participate in hands-on lab activities, network with employers at the camp job fair, and compete in a capture-the-flag competition that challenges both their technical skill sets and their ability to work in a team environment.

USCC also manages CyberCompEx.org – a cybersecurity-specific online community serving as a platform to continue conversations and learning beyond the 5-day camp program. CyberCompEx.org is a community where anyone can contribute ideas and resources about cybersecurity, network with others in the field, and ultimately build their skillsets to further their career and strengthen the cybersecurity workforce landscape.

U.S. Cyber Challenge is supported in part through sponsorships by Accenture and Defense Point Security, AFFIRM, Amazon Web Services, CenturyLink, Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation, Cyber Ninjas, the Department of Homeland Security, Duo, Federal CIO Council, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Monster Government Solutions, NIC, SANS Institute, the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, Sherman Consulting, and Unisys.
 
For information about becoming a sponsor of a Summer Cyber Camp, contact Karen S. Evans, National Director at [email protected].

To learn more about Cyber Quests, visit the website at USCC.CyberQuests.org. Details about the summer camps are on the USCC website – www.USCyberChallenge.org.

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About U.S. Cyber Challenge:

U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) is a program supported by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate through a contract with the Center for Internet Security, a 501(c)3 organization, and has the mission to significantly reduce the shortage in the cyber workforce by serving as the premier program to identify, attract, recruit and place the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. USCC’s goal is to find 10,000 of America’s best and brightest to fill the ranks of cybersecurity professionals where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation. For more information, visit www.USCyberChallenge.org.