Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Guard members assist with the 16th Annual Pacific Rim Regional Collegiate Cyber...... read more read more
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Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard supported the 16th Annual Pacific Rim Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition at South Puget Sound Community College, March 22-24, 2024.
“Events like PRCCDC are critical for bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world cyber threats. It also fosters collaboration between academia and military experts to enhance cybersecurity readiness for our state and nation,” said Maj. Sameer Puri, chief information officer, Washington Army National Guard. “These exercises provide an invaluable platform for hands-on experience, innovation, and professional growth, preparing participants to combat evolving cyber challenges effectively and contribute to a safer digital future. Additionally, this collaboration provides students with the opportunity to seek career opportunities within the Washington Army National Guard, further blending professional development with national service.”
Participation from the Department of Information Management (DOIM) team included 12 soldiers as competition officials, opposing forces and social engineering.
“Everyone should have an opportunity to left-seat/right-seat for the red team. Your shell into a system is only temporary and persistence matters when you are trying to exfil/exploit information,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lance Shimamoto, information technician chief, Washington Army National Guard. “You must be prepared and almost predict what will happen after you run a program/script/exploit so that you can maximize your time on the Local Area Network while you have it. Life is short and so are shell sessions.”
The three-day event focused on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing commercial network. The competition provides a unique opportunity for students and industry professionals to interact and discuss many of the security and operational challenges the students will face as they enter the job market, as well as raises awareness of the Guard’s role in cyber defense.
“PRCCDC staff was greatly appreciative of our efforts and volunteers for all the soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard. They were very appreciative that we continually support this program,” said Staff Sgt. William Fritts, cybersecurity specialist, who performed as a judge for the event.
The Pacific Rim Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition is designed for students from two- and four-year colleges and universities to develop their cybersecurity and information security abilities. The competition also serves as a regional qualifier for the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. Participants face real-world challenges in maintaining a secure corporate network, with successful teams moving on to the national event.
“The experience was a blast! Being able to work with professionals in the industry to get the feel of being on an actual ‘Red’ team,” said 1st Sgt. Daniel Papp, senior system administrator.
The annual cybersecurity event helps students learn about various cyber threats and challenges. Students deal with real-world cybersecurity situations, which are difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom setting. Washington Army National Guard soldiers provide support in coaching and mentoring the students.
“Acting as a member of social engineering team granted me a large degree of autonomy to challenge participants in their customer service and critical thinking. To test these factors, we created injects and made phone calls to the team with various issues and gave them timelines to resolve those issues,” said Sgt. Edward Oh, service and support specialist with DOIM. “Not only was the process enjoyable for everyone involved it forced both sides in a constant process of creative thinking.”
Although this is a three-day competition, the Washington Army National Guard has built a great relationship with the college staff having participated with them for more than a decade.
“We look forward each year for our soldiers to integrate, perform functions, and build confidence that reminds them of the level they perform daily basis for the Guard,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael Olmsted, deputy chief information officer. “To be able to interact with college students and provide their knowledge of the Army National Guard and potential growth opportunities as citizen-soldiers, it is also a great recruiting event.”
The Washington National Guard’s cyber program is nationally recognized for its partnership with Washington’s Secretary of State’s office to help secure the state’s election system, as well as the infrastructure vulnerability assessments completed with various utility companies across the state. This has led to an uptick in the number of individuals looking to convert to the information technology field.
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2024 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 467401 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 248 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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