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    Student researchers tackle real-world cyber challenges at USCYBERCOM's ‘26 Cyber RECon

    Student researchers tackle real-world cyber challenges at USCYBERCOM's ‘26 Cyber RECon

    Photo By Karen Roxberry | The Ohio State University Analyst Team, winners of the 2026 Cyber Research and...... read more read more

    UNITED STATES

    04.23.2026

    Courtesy Story

    U.S. Cyber Command

    Student researchers tackle real-world cyber challenges at USCYBERCOM's ‘26 Cyber RECon

    By U.S. Cyber Command Public Affairs

    FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. -U.S. Cyber Command’s Office of Academic Engagements hosted the fifth annual Cyber Research and Education Conference, known as Cyber RECon, from April 22-23, 2026 drawing more than 200 students and faculty from 19 universities.

    Cyber RECon aligns student research with key USCYBERCOM mission challenges by partnering with academic institutions to share research and provide technical mentorship. During the event, participants were divided into 28 teams to develop original research on real-world problems currently facing the nation.

    The Ohio State University Analyst Team secured the2026 Commander’s Cupwith their research titled,*“Semantic Shields: Automating Critical Infrastructure Defense via NLP-Driven Ransomware Profiling.”*The project examined the use of Natural Language Processing to attribute ransomware by clustering linguistic “fingerprints” in ransom notes, successfully uncovering undocumented actor relationships that bypass traditional forensic defenses.

    2026 Cyber RECon Award Winners:

    Commander’s Cup: Ohio State University

    Hunter: Virginia Commonwealth University

    Defender: Florida International University

    Strategist: Metropolitan State University of Denver

    EXPO Winners:

    Analyst: Ohio State University

    Hunter: University of California, Santa Cruz

    Defender: Air University

    Strategist: University of Maryland Carey Law School

    For more information on USCYBERCOM and Cyber RECon, visit: https://www.cybercom.mil.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.23.2026
    Date Posted: 06.16.2026 17:09
    Story ID: 567953
    Location: US

    Web Views: 231
    Downloads: 2

    PUBLIC DOMAIN