In a dark basement room, next to the loading dock behind the Student Services building, the tension was palpable as six students sat around a conference table. Each faced a laptop with code scrolling over black screens. It was a Sunday, and they had a long day of practice ahead.
“There are so many IPs. But which one is it?” Enes “EJ” Bulut mumbled to himself. Jacob Cain glanced at EJ’s screen, then back to his own.
CyberHerd teammates prepare for 2024 NCAE SE Regional competition.
They’re members of the CyberHerd cybersecurity team and they spend hours training every week. When they get to competition, they’ll be defending replicas of computer systems like ones used by airports, banks and power companies from mock attacks staged by cybersecurity professionals or other collegiate cyber competition teams.
And the competition is fierce. The University of Central Florida is known as a powerhouse in the world of cyber competitions, winning back-to-back National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions (NCCDC). Universities like Stanford, University of Virginia, Cal Poly and University of Texas San Antonio are familiar names on the cyber competition circuit.
But the CyberHerd is nipping at their heels.
CyberHerd teammates prepare for an 8-hour cybersecurity contest.
CyberHerd teammates learn details of the 2024 NCAE SE Regionals mere moments before the games begin.
For a team to win a seat at the table with the likes of UCF and Stanford, they must pass tests in regionals, semi-finals and one-off tournaments hosted by big-name sponsors like Raymond James Financial and the Department of Energy.
Saturday, the team brought home first place at the NSA’s invitation-only NCAE Cyber Games southeast regional, taking down teams from Florida International University, University of West Florida, East Carolina University, Augusta University, The Citadel, Eastern Florida State College, University of Tampa and two teams from the University of Georgia.
With this victory behind them, the team pushes forward. Their usual Sunday practice was canceled – just this once – but Monday they get back to their normal practice schedule: three 2-hour sessions during the week and at least two hours on Sundays.
USF CyberHerd scored 5,781 to win the NCAE Cyber Games SE Regional. Scores combine Capture the Flag, Injects, and Service categories. CyberHerd scored highest in every category and was the only team to score on the Injects category.
USF CyberHerd scored 5,781 to win the NCAE Cyber Games SE Regional. Scores combine Capture the Flag, Injects, and Service categories. CyberHerd scored highest in every category and was the only team to score on the Injects category.
During practice, assistant professor of instruction and team coach Marbin Pazos Revilla stands near the shaded windows, watching the team work through problems. When someone gets stuck, he’s there to help them code their way out of a corner.
Revilla points out that NCAE is considered an entry-level contest, forcing the team’s most experienced members to sit this one out. However, it’s not for beginners.
“The challenges are complex to solve and not only require the technical skills to succeed, but great coordination and teamwork,” Revilla said.
In tougher contests where only the best will survive, the team holds its own.
CyberHerd members give their remote competitors a first look at the eventual contest
winners.
CyberHerd members give their remote competitors a first look at the eventual contest winners.
CyberHerd maintained a first-place ranking during most of the Department of Energy’s CyberForce 2023 competition in November. Unfortunately, they fell behind, placing 5th overall.
It’s not a bad finish considering they topped 103 teams, including Penn State, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Virginia Tech. It’s also a big improvement in only a year.
Teammates Logan Mastin and Iris Little won Most Valuable Teammate and Most Improved Teammate during the NCAE SE Regionals.
Teammates Logan Mastin and Iris Little won Most Valuable Teammate and Most Improved Teammate during the NCAE SE Regionals.
CyberHerd formed in 2023 to train cyber competitors who are focused on bringing home wins for USF. With a boost of support from Cyber Florida (the Florida Center for Cybersecurity), the team went from startup to starting lineup in a single year.
Now, WCSC is the nurturing ground for future CyberHerd members.
“The team was formed... with a specific purpose to improve competitiveness of USF students in the broad field of cybersecurity, considering the field is a national priority, now," explained professor and team faculty advisor Sriram Chellappan. "Training our students to compete well in such events significantly improves visibility of USF, and its investments in cybersecurity.”
Adding to their grueling practice schedule are near-weekly competitions.
See CyberHerd's competition schedule here.
Next month, the team travels to Cape Canaveral for Hack Space Con 2024 at Kennedy Space Center April 10-13. Less than 10 days later, CyberHerd may get home server advantage during the invitation-only NCAE Cyber Games Grand Final Invitational at USF on April 20.
But first, the team travels about an hour east to Saint Leo University for the Hack The Box Capture the Flag (HTB CTF) competition March 1.
The team takes it one contest at a time, but they can’t help looking forward to the CCDC National April 25-27. To get there, they need a win at CCDC Southeast Regionals March 23.
CyberHerd sees each contest as an opportunity to stampede through the gates and lock horns with the country’s top collegiate cybersecurity competitors.
Follow the team’s progress at https://www.usf.edu/engineering/cse/cyberherd.aspx.