Cyber Center News
2024 October 29
.-By Dr. G. Roberts
Happy Halloween Pumas!
On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, the Valencia College Cybersecurity Club brought their tech-savvy spirit to Trick or Treat on Puma Street. Alongside candy distribution, club members immersed themselves in the Halloween celebrations with face painting, costume contests, and community education on cybersecurity.
The evening featured several memorable moments, including a prize-winning costume by one member’s child and an impromptu dance session with the DJ. Club members also took the opportunity to expand their skills, learning tips on face painting and Halloween makeup from local artists.
In keeping with their mission, the Cybersecurity Club set up demonstrations showcasing security tools like packet sniffers and penetration-testing devices. These demonstrations sparked interest among community members, adding an educational twist to the fun-filled evening.
The club’s president, Josh—dressed as Darth Maul with a light saber—was a crowd favorite. After the festivities, the group gathered in their meeting room for a well-deserved, relaxed “after-party,” reflecting on the successful event and planning their next community engagement.
2024 March 5
-By Dr. J. Chisholm
Javier Colon, Seth Birtch, and Vincent Lindsay, all Information Security Analysts
with HD Supply, presented “Life in the SOC”. All three presenters are past students
and were active leaders of Valencia College's CNET Cybersecurity Club during their tenure at Valencia College. To give back to their community, they contacted Dr. Jessica Chisholm and CNET Cybersecurity Club to see if they could present what they do daily in a security operations center.
Key presentation points:
HD Supply’s information security analyst's day typically begins with reviewing
alerts and incident reports from the previous shift, prioritizing them based on severity
and potential impact. They conduct thorough investigations into suspicious activities,
analyzing logs, network traffic, and system behavior to identify and assess potential
security threats. Throughout the day, they collaborate to coordinate incident response
efforts, share threat intelligence, and implement security controls. This sometimes
involves working closely with IT teams to patch vulnerabilities, fine-tune security
configurations, and deploy new security measures.
Additionally, each team member has to stay updated on the latest cybersecurity trends and emerging threats by continuously monitoring threat intelligence sources and participating in training sessions or workshops. Most importantly, they emphasized the crucial documentation of incidents, investigations, and remediation actions, as well as the regular communication of security status and findings to management and relevant stakeholders.
2024 March
-By J. Morales, CNET Cybersecurity Club President
Members of the CNET Cybersecurity Club participated in the Cyber Florida Cyber Launch Event geared towards high school seniors. Noah Williams, Vice President of the CNET Cybersecurity Club, and Joshua Morales, President of the CNET Cybersecurity Club, along with Jon Sowell, AS Cybersecurity Program Advisor, and Eric Bobo, Student Success Coach, attended the event to engage with upcoming high school graduates about their post-graduation plans. They introduced the students to the diverse opportunities available at Valencia College. Noah and Joshua shared their firsthand experiences at Valencia College, highlighting their personal growth within the AS/AA Cybersecurity program. They also promoted the Cybersecurity program by emphasizing the collaborative learning environment, hands-on projects, guest speaker sessions, and the weekly labs and Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges.
Presentations about various cybersecurity topics including certifications.
Students gather for a presentation as part of the Cyber Launch event.
Eric Bobo, Joshua Morales, Jon Sowell, Noah Williams
2023 October
-By J. Alexander
Dr. Wael Yousif, Professor of Cybersecurity and Network Engineering Technology (CyberNET) at Valencia College, had the honor of introducing Valencia College's CyberNET program to a visiting delegation
under the Community College Administrator Program (CCAP) representing Mexico.
The CCAP is an initiative supported by the U.S. State Department, with the primary
goal of fostering international awareness and understanding of U.S. community colleges
and their educational systems. This initiative is particularly directed at administrators
of post-secondary vocational and technical institutions, as well as officials responsible
for higher education planning, especially those involved in creating their own community
college systems.
Among the subjects highlighted by Dr. Yousif, one that particularly captured
the interest of the delegation was the recent recognition of CyberNET as a Center
for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency.
This prestigious designation has been held by both Valencia College and the CyberNET
department since 2013.
Impressed by his presentation, the CCAP delegates extended an invitation to Dr.
Yousif to speak at future events. He will have the opportunity to share his knowledge
and experiences regarding the CyberNET program and its esteemed CAE-CD designation.
Dr. Yousif eagerly anticipates these opportunities.
2023 September
-By Dr. G. RobertsThe CNET Cybersecurity Club recently joined the IEEE Orlando Chapter for an informative session hosted by an FBI agent specializing in cybersecurity matters. During this event, the agent delved into various cybersecurity topics, shedding light on the various issues and trends within the field and the investigative procedures employed. Among the current trends discussed were subjects like Business Email Compromise (BEC) and the use of cryptocurrency by ransomware organizations. The agent also touched on pertinent real-world events, such as the recent casino breach in Las Vegas. He emphasized that these types of investigations are typically managed by the offices where they are initially reported or detected.
Students in attendance expressed keen interest in understanding the inner workings of these offices and how they integrate into the investigative process. The agent provided a concise overview of how these offices contribute to the overall investigative efforts.
Throughout the presentation, the agent illustrated the investigative process through case studies, taking the audience through each stage, from initial alerts to arrests and trials. He delved into critical aspects such as evidence seizure, chain of custody, indicators of compromise, analysis, confirmation, collaboration with local and international entities, the mobilization of authorities, and the role of evidence in legal proceedings.
The session also included a Q&A segment where students inquired about potential careers with the FBI. The agent offered valuable insights, highlighting the many career paths available and directing students to relevant job listings and resources, which can be accessed through this link: https://fbijobs.gov/students-and-graduates This presentation not only provided students with a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity threat landscape but also offered them a glimpse of what to anticipate if they choose to pursue a career in cyber investigations.
Following the presentation, students had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one discussions with the agent, further enhancing their insight into the world of cybersecurity and the FBI's role in combating cyber threats.
2023 August
-By Dr. J. Chisholm
Cybersecurity Club Events
Cyber Security Competitions
Cybersecurity competitions, mostly in the form of CTFs (capture the flag), are becoming a necessity in cybersecurity training and career preparation. According to Forbes magazine, CTF competitions can help bridge the gaps in skill and interest in the field. By gamifying the experience, CTFs help make cybersecurity learning "fun and engaging".
National Cyber League (NCL)
Since its inception in 2011, Valencia College has participated in the National Cyber League's (NCL) bi-annual competitions. These competitions occur in the Fall and Spring semesters. The number of Valencia College students competing at the NCL has increased from 16 players in 2013 to 61 players in the Fall of 2017. NCL competition scouting reports show Valencia College students ranking among the top players in the nation!
Unfortunately, due to the recent lock-down, Valencia College has not fielded an official team for the NCL for some time. However, individual students have still been competing and doing well.
Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CECCDC)
PicoCTF (Carnegie Melon College)
More recently, Valencia College has been participating in the PicoCTF challenges that Carnegie Melon College has been hosting. PicoCTF has been a great resource for our students. Not only do they have a competition yearly, they also have smaller competitions and an open gym where students can learn about CTFs and the skills that they will need to compete. Carnegie Melon has fostered an environment of learning, a philosophy of which that Valencia College shares.
Our Students
Here is what some of our Cyber Defense Students have to say about their experiences with the competitions:
"Because of the ethical hacking course, I had the honor to compete in the SECDCC. It was a great experience and also a motivation to continue and advance in cybersecurity. The competition helped get a better understanding of security and securing networks. This competition is a great way for students to get their feet wet in understanding basic security configurations and the importance of network security. It was also a very fun experience and taught the value of working as a team and helping others. I would definitely love to compete again if I had the opportunity and look forward to other cyber competitions in the future"
"I have competed in the National Cyber League (NCL). This competition was a great learning addition because it drove students to research and to learn more about techniques and tools that can be used in the field of cyber security. The challenges consisted of capture-the-flag type questions which forced students to use critical thinking, reasoning, and go beyond traditional classroom learning. It provided real life hands-on exercises on cryptography, cybersecurity, forensics, ethical hacking, network analysis, and more. My experience with the NCL competition is that it was fun and helped me to develop my thinking and research abilities in the computer network and cybersecurity fields."
"I have also competed in the South-Eastern Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC). This competition was similar to an on-the-job experience that a classroom could not offer. It was a team exercise and the goal was to effectively harden servers as well as to complete job assignments and reports in a timely fashion while hackers were trying to penetrate the network and hack our systems. My experience with SECCDC helped me to realize the importance of cybersecurity today, and it also gave me the experience to work in teams with other people and to really take the job seriously"