Complexity of Cyber Defense Competitions Explained by K-State Veteran Team Members

By Mallory Pittman

The Kansas State Cyber Defense Team informed us about the rules of their competitions. We spoke with members of the blue team, graduate students Matt Webb and Chandan Chowdhury.  This team is in charge of defense. They have around one hour to lock everything down before the opposing red team comes in to break into the different systems. They are usually expected to secure things such as FTP servers, web servers, and more.

Three members of K-State's Cyber Defense Club
at the most recent CANSec competition.

Once the red team attempts to attack, the systems will be checked in time intervals of about five to fifteen minutes and the blue team will receive a point if a defended server is still up. Another twist is that “flags” are often hidden in servers. It is critical that these flags do not get compromised, or else the blue team suffers a significant loss of points.

The Central Networking and Security (CANSec) competition, the most recent competition they attended, has been held annually for 26 years. Cyber security as a whole emerged with the start of computers and the internet. About 25-30 years ago is when students started getting involved in the field and competitions arose.

In addition to their national competition that is held at Iowa State University, the team has also traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas and other cities, as the location of CANSec varies from year to year. The locations are usually not extremely far from Manhattan, Kansas, but the team would be eager to participate in competitions farther away if given the opportunity.

The entire team that went to the CANSec competition
held last month, which took place at Fontbonne
University in Clayton, Missouri.

Some of the competitions the team would like to attend are held in Las Vegas, but the team does not attend them due to reasons such as the cost and level of difficulty. The students are, however, planning on participating in a competition held in Colorado, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, if budget allows.

Each competition includes different schools ranging from large universities similar to Kansas State to much smaller groups that come without uniforms. Because of this, and other factors that vary from competition to competition, it is hard to predict how the team will perform before they get there.

http://ksucyberdefencenews.blogspot.com/

Is Winning Everything?

By Madison Loschke

Most people participate in competition events for the money, trophies, and glory. Kansas State’s Cyber Defense team, however, does not compete for such trivial items.  Only some of the events team members attend give away rewards, even as simple as a trophy. When the team won the regional contest last year they did not receive a single item to show for it. Most people would be slightly irritated about having nothing to show for their hard work.

Two of the awards that the team has recieved

for placing well at the Iowa State competition

mentioned by Prough.

Kansas State’s Cyber Defense team does not compete for the prizes as team member Logan Prough, explained stating that his “motivation is to represent K-state well, show everyone what they have learned, and gain the personal experience.”  

The Cyber Defense Team’s national competition takes place in Iowa each year, and our university has a standing invitation due to the excellence our teams have shown repeatedly throughout their years of participation. One Kansas State team even placed second at the event. The team has also placed well at regional competitions and is currently on a two year winning streak.

Winning a national event would mean a great deal to the students who proudly represent Kansas State University. To these individuals, the hands on experience they gain on the competition trail means an astronomical amount more than any trophy ever could. 

http://ksucyberdefencenews.blogspot.com/

More Than Just Computer Hacking

By Madison Loschke and Caleb Pfeifer

Brandon Koch and Blake Wiles from Conway Springs, Kansas are freshman on Kansas State’s Cyber Defense Club competition team. While both young men are extremely tech savvy, becoming an all-knowing computer and cyber defense whiz is not the sole goal of the Cyber Defense team. The program works as a resource that helps individuals with varying career paths become better prepared for their future by learning the basics of computers and the technology that makes them work.

Brandon Koch (top) and Blake Wiles

(bottom) work on their self-built 

computers in their dorm rooms.

“I’m looking at cyber defense for some sort of government company,” stated Koch, who also has considered a career that involves using algorithms to encrypt digital data. That process is called cryptography and would require him to have a double major in math. Wiles, on the other hand, is not planning a career that is directly related to cyber defense, but plans to be a software engineer.

These freshman students have already learned learn numerous basic skills while preparing for competition, such as how Linux, Routers, and Modems work. Linux is an operating system that is commonly found in professional industry. Routers and Modems find themselves in nearly everyone’s daily life due to the fact almost every home or workplace in America needs them to operate in modern society.

Team members will testify that you don’t need to be focused on a career in cyber defense in order to reap benefits from their club. Abilities such as un-hacking or removing malware from your personal computer are among the many skills taught during meetings and through competition. The general knowledge you gain prevents you from depending on others in your daily life, when your computer problems are a relatively easy fix.

Koch affirmed: “The general knowledge is always helpful so if something goes wrong, you know where to look or who to contact to help you.”

http://ksucyberdefencenews.blogspot.com/

Cyber Defense Team Steals First Place in First Competition of the Year

By Mallory Pittman

Durland Hall (DUE) where students gather

 for Cyber Defense Club every Thursday at 6:00 pm.

Every Thursday night, about 40 students gather in Kansas State University’s Durland Hall to hold meetings for the Cyber Defense Club.

Richard Petrie, the club president, and Caleb Fleming, the team’s treasurer spoke about some of the competitions they have been to and what the preparation work looks like for such events. According to them, different types of competitions require varying amounts of work ahead of time.

The Central Area Networking and Security (CANSec) competition they attended last week required on the spot problem solving.  They only had the knowledge of what last year’s competition consisted of to help them. “We just show up and figure it out,” says Petrie. Petrie’s team’s initial plan this year fell apart, but they solved challenges quickly and ended up taking first place.

Other types of competitions require much more preparation work. The next event they attend allows them a month to work through ideas before the actual competition.  Petrie claimed that it helps them “think through exactly how […] to set things up and get things configured.”

The type of competition all depends on the organization and how they decide to set it up.

Some of the competitions they go to are defensive style. “We are given a network and computers on that network and we have to fix them and secure them,” explains Petrie.

On the other hand, the offensive style competitions are set up like capture the flag and usually the team faces challenges online. Their goal is often to essentially go through and “break things” or steal something off of another computer system. The Cyber Defense team usually attends one of these each month.

Some members work and prepare for cyber defense competitions outside of the club’s meetings. These individuals are passionate about Cyber Defense and spend spare time participating in competitions on their own.  Some members, however, are not as fortunate when it comes to having time to invest in the club.  Even Fleming, who has an officer position, stated “I would like to spend more time [on the Cyber Defense Club] but it just doesn’t happen.”

Concerning those who do not have excess time to sharpen their cyber defense skills, Petrie stated “that’s perfectly okay […] homework and family always take priority over events”.