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CyberStart Online Gaming Tournament Returns

CyberStart is an online game for problem-solvers who welcome a challenge. Open to all Syracuse University students, CyberStart offers an opportunity to learn more about the cybersecurity profession, test your problem-solving skills and learn new technology.

During this year’s kickoff event, students had the opportunity to try out 12 challenges. Students interested in continuing then signed up for the semester-long competition with prizes for top finishers and random drawings for participants who complete a minimum number of challenges.

In the inaugural competition, College of Engineering and Computer Science graduate student Weiling Wang G ’21 won CyberStart by more than 10,000 points.

“CyberStart reinforced my enthusiasm and passion for cybersecurity,” Wang said. “After [CyberStart], I also participated in some other capture the flag competitions. What I learned from these competitions will help me pursue my career in cybersecurity.”

After winning the CyberStart competition, Wang joined Syracuse University’s Security Operations Center (SOC) as a student employee and currently works as a security engineer at TikTok.

Registration/Survey

Top Scorers (as of Dec. 2, 2022)

  1. MD                        107,700 points
  2. CynicalPotato    104,300
  3. Sean Shin              81,500

Prizes

1st place: LinkedIn six-month Premium membership, a Packt security book, a Cyber Mentor course voucher, Black Hills Backdoors and Breaches security card game

2nd place: LinkedIn six-month Premium membership, a Packt security book, a Cyber Mentor course voucher

3rd place: LinkedIn six-month Premium membership, a Packt security book

Those outside of the top three but earning more than 20,000 points will be entered into a random drawing to win a:

  • LinkedIn six-month Premium membership
  • Packt security book
  • Cyber Mentor course voucher
  • Black Hills Backdoors and Breaches security card game

Sponsors

LinkedIn logo
packt logo
Black Hills Information Security logo
TCM Security logo

FAQ

What is CyberStart?

CyberStart is a program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and developed by the SANS Institute to identify and train the cybersecurity professionals of the future. CyberStart’s overall mission is to rapidly eliminate the cybersecurity skills gap in the United States by providing scholarships for students with an innate talent for cybersecurity to study the discipline at the highest level and to educate the cybersecurity leaders of tomorrow.

How does it work?

CyberStart is part-game, part-training and part-competition. Players take the role of a security professional trying to catch various hackers. Players are presented with a set of challenges at varying levels of difficulty.

Challenges have hints and a field manual to help the player solve them, and players learn as they play. The game is designed for all skills and knowledge levels, including someone who has never considered a field of study or career in technology.

The ITS Information Security Department might interview top finishers for a paid student job in our SOC.

Wait…a job?

Yes, a part-time student job. While any student is eligible for a position in the SOC (see Handshake for listings), taking part in CyberStart helps assess whether candidates have the skills we seek.

What do I need to play?

First and foremost, you need to have an interest. You’ll also need an internet connection, a laptop/computer and a web browser. (Note: Smartphones and tablets do not work well with the CyberStart environment.)

I’ve never taken any classes in cybersecurity or information technology. Would I be wasting my time if I tried to play?

Absolutely not. CyberStart is designed to help technical AND nontechnical students discover if they have interests and skills that translate to cybersecurity. You only need to invest an hour of your time to see if you really have the interest to continue building your skills. In addition to your research outside of CyberStart, an extensive field manual features video demos, top tips and essential background information to help with challenges.

How do I get started?

Bring your laptop to our pizza party on Oct. 14 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Falk 100. Play around with CyberStart. The first part of CyberStart will get you comfortable with the system and prepare you to explore the over 200 defensive/offensive security challenges.

Do I have to go to the pizza party to play?

No. We’ll communicate how to enter the semester-long competition after the party for those who couldn’t make it, but why not join us? Free pizza, free soda, free cookies. You’ll also get a chance to meet some of Syracuse University’s Info Sec staff members.

How long do I have to play?

Access to CyberStart will run until April 2023. The Syracuse University-sponsored CyberStart competition will run from October 2022 through January 31, 2023. After that, you can continue to play until April 2023 if you would like to compete for cybersecurity training scholarships through the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation, but University staff will no longer track your progress.

Helping People Through Consultation: Q&A with Lena Karakash ’22

On #ITProfessionalsDay, we’re proud to feature one of the newest IT professionals around! Before Lena Karakash ’22 started as a tech analyst with BlackRock in New York City last month, she worked in the ITS Service Center. We recently spoke with Lena about her Service Center experience and how it helped prepare her for a career in technology. Continue Reading

Orange Online: September 2022

Pop quiz: What’s the most common reason why people contact the ITS Help Desk? If you said “password management,” you’re right! Keep reading to learn how you can tackle common password-related issues quickly and easily.

Throughout the semester, our Orange Online messages will provide updates and insights about how you can make the best use of technology. In addition, you can contact the ITS Help Desk (help@syr.edu or 315.443.2677) for any technology-related questions and follow ITS on Instagram for tips, tricks and occasional pet pics.

This edition’s topics:

·         Managing Your NetID Password

·         Protecting Your Data: Don’t Share Multi-Factor Authentication Codes

·         Microsoft Office 365: FREE for Orange Students

·         Spotlight on the Digital Scholarship Space

·         Disconnecting Hotspots

·         Remote Desktop Services

Managing Your NetID Password

“When does my password expire? … How do I change my password? … I changed my password but now I can’t log in. What’s the deal?“ We address these and many other questions in the NetID Password Change FAQ.

Protecting Your Data: Don’t Share Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Codes

The ITS Information Security team has observed a new phishing method: If bad actors obtain a username, password and phone number through a simple phishing attack, they then use that information to attempt to log in to their victim’s SUMail account. This creates an MFA action on the victim’s phone (either through the Microsoft Authenticator App action or a text message). The attacker then contacts the victim with a pretext such as, “I’m your IT support person trying to fix your mailbox. Would you text me back the code you were just sent?” If the target replies with that code, the attacker can access the mailbox. REMEMBER: Your MFA code is just for you! There is never a reason you should send it to anyone else. If you receive one of these text messages, your password might have been compromised in a previous phishing attack, so you should change it immediately. You can learn more about recent phishing scams by visiting the ITS Phish Bowl.

Microsoft Office 365: FREE for Orange Students

Regardless of your major, all students are encouraged to have a computer running Microsoft Office 365, which is free for active students. Office 365 includes the classic Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) plus cloud storage (OneDrive), collaboration features (Teams) and digital notebooks (OneNote). For more details, please visit the Office 365 at Syracuse University page.

Spotlight on the Digital Scholarship Space

Located in room 458 of Bird Library, the Digital Scholarship Space (DSS) is a workshop, laboratory and classroom space designed for the study and creation of digital artifacts and experiences. With gaming, game studies and game design as central considerations, the DSS features a variety of computer gaming platforms, including current and legacy machines. The space also hosts open lab hours for students to complete homework and work on projects. To learn more or to reserve the space for an event, please send an email to dss@syr.edu.

Disconnecting Hotspots

When someone uses a cellular hotspot on campus, the signal competes with the AirOrangeX wireless network. Disconnecting a device’s cellular hotspot and connecting to a campus network such as AirOrangeX instead is a great way to improve the campus computing experience for everyone. Wherever you study on campus, the wireless AirOrangeX network provides fast, secure connection for computers, smartphones and tablets. To learn how to connect to AirOrangeX, please visit its.syr.edu/connected.

Remote Desktop Services

Remote Desktop Services offer a virtual desktop environment that allows you to access a University desktop from any personal computer with a stable broadband internet connection. You can learn more about how to connect and available software by visiting the Remote Desktop Services page.

 

Orange Online: August 2022

Throughout the semester, our Orange Online messages will provide updates and insights about how you can make the best use of technology. In addition, you can contact the ITS Help Desk (help@syr.edu or 315.443.2677) for any technology-related questions and follow ITS on Instagram for tips, tricks and occasional pet pics.

This edition’s topics: Continue Reading

Pro Tips for Campus Technology

Hundreds of information technology professionals work every day to support Orange students, faculty and staff. The University tech community includes the campus-wide reach of Information Technology Services as well as dedicated staff for each school, college and administrative unit.

With a new school year set to begin, we collected some “pro tips” to enhance your technology experience on campus. Continue Reading