UMBC wins National CyberForce Competition

WASHINGTON, DC —The University of Maryland, Baltimore County team is the national winner of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2019 National CyberForce Competition.

The National CyberForce Competition is in its fifth iteration and is a new approach to recruit cyber talent.

This past weekend, the office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, or CESER, welcomed teams from over 100 universities to its national labs.

“CyberForce brings together our nation’s brightest students to protect against tomorrow’s threats, a uniquely American approach to problem solving,” said Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “These competitions identify and honor tomorrow’s cybersecurity experts to encourage their continued work in a vital field. Congratulations to this year’s winners and thank you to all the bright students who participated.”

After participating in cyber challenge exercises, officials say they expect to extend job offers to some students.

“Every year, the CyberForce Competition attracts more and more talented students,” said Karen S. Evans, Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, “and with the expansion to address professional recruitment, the competition will only continue to grow. We envision this competition to be a tool to assist our sector to close skills gaps and shortages of cybersecurity experts.”