Local News

UNC Charlotte Team Wins First Cyber Defense Competition

Posted Updated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A team of eight students from the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

won the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition last weekend.

The first-ever event is part of an effort by the Department of Homeland Security to encourage better protection of U.S. information infrastructure.

Members of Carolina Cyber Defender included Anthony Foust, Steven Blanchard, Nathan Conrad, James Deese, Richard Kelly, Dennis Underwood, Andrew Falivene, and Zach Wadler

The UNCC team prevailed over three other regional champions and a team featuring members from five U.S. military academies.

Over three days, the student teams had to set up solutions to business scenarios, such as an e-commerce site, and defend it against hackers. The "red team" of hackers was made up of veteran information technology professionals, according to UNCC.

A UNCC team placed fourth nationally last December in a "Capture the (cyber) Flag" competition, defeating teams from North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.