U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response and Argonne National Lab announced the winners of the eighth annual CyberForce Competition.
University of Central Florida's team beat 143 other U.S. university teams from 35 states and Puerto Rico to win this year's competition, held Nov. 4 and 5, according to a Nov. 7 news release. The DOE CyberForce Program is "designed to inspire and develop the next generation of energy cyber defenders."
"The winners of the 2022 CyberForce Competition have demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork as they rose to the challenge presented by a real-world cybersecurity scenario," CESER Director Puesh Kumar said in the news release. "On behalf of DOE CESER, I am delighted to congratulate A Team with a Dream from the University of Central Florida on their performance and success."
This year's scenario featured a simulated cyberattack on "an up-and-coming electric vehicle manufacturer's new solar installation," the news release said. Some the manufacturer's infrastructure appeared compromised and the teams raced the clock to assess vulnerabilities and ensure other systems were secured before they could be taken over.
"Drum roll please. We're announcing the winners of the year's 2022 CyberForce Competition!" DOE CESER said in a post on Twitter. "After two days of competition, out of 144 teams from 35 states, this year's winning team is...
"A Team with a Dream from @UCF!" DOE CESER continued in a Twitter comment. "Congrats to the team and great work using your skills to defend Vita Vehiculum Manufacturing."
The news release also announced runners up in this year's competition. Another University of Central Florida team took second place, and a team from Pennsylvania State University won third.
