With the interconnectedness of today’s digital communication infrastructure, it has become essential to make cyber networks secure to protect vital information. In December 2013, it was reported that hackers had stolen the information of up to 40 million shoppers by hacking into the network of Target Corp., the third largest retailer in the United States.
The corporation did not realize what was going on until credit card processors noticed a surge in fraudulent transactions from credit cards that had been recently used at Target locations during the holiday season.
Preventing disasters such as these is the goal of the UMaine Cybersecurity Team, a group of students studying computer engineering and computer science that take what they learn in class and apply it to solving real world cyber security issues.
Second-year computer engineering student Benjamin Grooms is the captain of the current team and is in charge of network engineering on the team.
“[Competing] shows you have experience…and you’re much more likely to get [a job] in the field,” Grooms said.
The team competes against other schools in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. In this competition, each team is charged with overseeing the security of the communications network of a hypothetical small company. These systems include basic internet and email services.
Teams have a limited amount of time to familiarize themselves with the security systems in place and must defend the system from a team of professional and military hackers who attempt to dismantle the system. The effectiveness of the team’s defense is then judged by a third party.
“They’re professionals. They know what they’re doing,” Grooms said. “No matter how good each school’s team is, the [hackers] are going to get in no matter what.”
On Saturday, the UMaine Cyber Defense Team qualified to compete in this year’s competition, which will be held March 14-16 at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
Most of the schools that Grooms and his team are competing against are NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance, meaning that they have academic programs specifically tailored to train students in the field of cyber security. UMaine does not have such certification, meaning that much of what the team has learned is self-taught.
“We do a lot of research online,” Grooms said. “There are no courses [at UMaine] that deal specifically with cyber security. There are many different courses that you can take knowledge from and apply it.”
Despite this handicap, Grooms feels that the team could do well.
“It’s intimidating, but in the past we have done well,” Grooms said.
The UMaine Cyber Defense team was formed in 2008, around the same time that the competition started to branch out to schools in the northeastern U.S.
Grooms got involved with the program during his freshman year and hopes that issues of cyber security will become more of a concern.
“A lot of people have seen the ordeal with Target … you would think they would have their stuff together and secure,” Grooms said. “Everyone can see the effects of people getting their information stolen … We’re attempting to be better prepared for a future where it’s even more important than now [to be secure].”
The other teams that UMaine will compete against are:
Alfred State University (NY)
Champlain College (VT)
Northeastern University (MA)
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
SUNY IT
Syracuse University (NY)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
UMass Boston