INDIANAPOLIS — Many know about March Madness, the college basketball tournament that pits 68 teams against one another for hoops supremacy over the course of 18 days.
At Purdue University a different madness is taking root: Cyber Madness.
The competition challenges high school students in a capture-the-flag game on computers, and the importance extends beyond a physical pastime and introduces skills used in real-world cybersecurity work.
“Capture- the-flag events demonstrate to Indiana high school students that the skills they learn and improve upon, by participating in competitions like Cyber Madness, will help them prepare for a future in cybersecurity whether in industry, military, government or academia," said Shawn Huddy, director of strategic partnerships at Purdue University's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security.
Along with Purdue University's CERIAS, the Indiana National Guard co-hosted the event at the West Lafayette campus and brought five teams from across the Hoosier state together.
“This event is important to the National Guard because it allows us to identify the highest achievers across Indiana high schoolers in order to offer those students cybersecurity education and career opportunities that will increase their capabilities while maximizing Hoosier cybersecurity,” said Maj. Christopher Myers, the director of cybersecurity for the Indiana Air National Guard.
This capture-the-flag challenge took place over the course of weeks with the first two rounds played remotely and the final round in-person and on campus. The teams varied from a solo individual to the largest with six players. A total of 16 students competed, with Carmel High School winning the challenge followed closely by Munster High School.
“It was nice to visit Purdue and participate in-person with the Guard and University. CTFs [capture-the-flags] are a good way to gain familiarity with a variety of different computer science and cybersecurity topics,” said Jacob Mazza, a Carmel High School student.
Teachers and parents chaperoned the students to the event, and they also saw the importance of the cyber challenge for future online security and information technology infrastructure.
“This event is important to our school because it provides real-world IT applications to our students. We're excited to have local recognition of our skills, and to see about cybersecurity opportunities,” said Angie Rhoads, a South Newton High School teacher.
Another teacher echoed that sentiment that the capture-the-flag events provide.
“It allows them to gain meaningful experience by solving real life problems,” said Bailey Carpenter, a North Montgomery High School teacher.
As demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow, organizers say events like Cyber Madness are designed to give students an early foothold in a field critical to national and economic security.