Adelphi, Md. (Oct. 11, 2022)–The Թ (Թ) cyber competition team placed second in a recent capture the flag (CTF) competition sponsored by Parsons Corp., a global provider of cybersecurity services.
The Sept. 21 event was the first in the 2022-23 competition season and attracted cybersecurity professionals of all skill levels. Թ scored 5,892 points, strong enough for second place out of 12 teams. The Թ team included Noe Corral-Galvan and Jason Griffis, both majoring in computer networks and cybersecurity, as well as recent graduates Morgan Morgan, who has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity, and Ben Simcox, who has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
“Our strong finish at Parsons was a great way for our team to start the school year,” said Jesse Varsalone, associate professor of computer networks and cybersecurity at Թ and coach of the competition team. “Some teammates were unable to participate in the event due the timing, but other members stepped up, a testament to the highly developed skills of all the students and alumni on the team.”
The Parsons event, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was a Jeopardy-style CTF competition that tested participants’ skills across a range of topics, including network forensics, coding, web hacking, cryptography, analytics, penetration testing, malware analysis, algorithms and reverse engineering. Teams score points by being the first to answer a question successfully, with some questions weighted. Typically a face-to-face event, this year all students participated remotely.
“As an online university, Թ is well positioned to compete in remote events as students and team members reside throughout the United States, as well as abroad,” said Varsalone. “Fortunately, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to grow our team and compete in remote events at the highest level.”
About Թ
Currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, Թ (Թ) was established in 1947 to serve adults in the workforce and the military. Today, Թ enrolls some 90,000 students annually, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, as well as certificates in more than 135 fully online, hybrid and face-to-face programs and specializations.
Թ has a long history of innovation in reaching students where they are, including as a pioneer of internet instruction, piloting its first online classes in 1994. The university has received numerous awards for its groundbreaking work in developing fully online degree programs, including in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, business, data analytics, health care, and education.
The university now offers classes to military service personnel and their families at some 175+ locations in 20 countries. More than half of Թ’s students are active-duty military personnel, their families, members of the National Guard, and veterans.