cybersecurity camp

More than 70 camp participants will attend the Western Regional camp and the executive roundtable (Robert Bain photo).

Media Contact: Rudy Pamintuan, USCC media relations, 312-961-4710

U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) and San Jose State University (SJSU) will host a cybersecurity roundtable discussion featuring national experts from technology, government and academia beginning at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at San Jose State University in the New Student Union Ballroom. The event will be held in conjunction with the 2014 U.S. Cyber Challenge Western Regional Cyber Camp, taking place Aug. 11-15 at SJSU.

The 2014 Western Regional Cyber Security Executive Roundtable Discussion will allow camp participants to hear firsthand from employers, including Silicon Valley companies, about how to prepare for a career in this critical field, as well as what specific roles these organizations hope to fill in their workforce.

“We look forward to the dialogue between industry experts and the elite talent at our cyber camp,” said SJSU President Mohammad Qayoumi. “This is a unique opportunity for camp participants to not only learn hands-on in the classroom, but also interact with executives in the industry and understand the workforce needs of this exponentially expanding sector.”

Hands-on experience

Executive participants include Dr. Ernest McDuffie, lead for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE); Darren Ash, Deputy Executive Director for Corporate Management and Chief Information Officer, Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Stuart Solomon, Vice President, Technical Services and Client Operations, iSight Partners; and Chris Bjornson, Chief Information Officer, Accenture Federal Services. Other participants will also include representatives from Facebook and (ISC)2. The roundtable will be moderated by Karen S. Evans, National Director of U.S. Cyber Challenge.

Throughout the week-long camp program, curriculum includes in-depth workshops on a range of topics such as reverse engineering malware, writing exploits, tactical attacks and penetration testing, all taught by academics, SANS Institute senior instructors and other cybersecurity experts.

The week will finish with a virtual “Capture the Flag” competition and awards ceremony Friday, Aug. 15, inside the New Student Union Ballroom. The ceremony will include remarks by President Qayoumi; Admiral Patrick Walsh, US Navy (Ret.), Senior VP, iSight Partners; and Karen S. Evans, National Director of U.S. Cyber Challenge.

Industry connections

The camp is supported in part through sponsorships by (ISC)2 Foundation, SE Solutions, iSight Partners, Threat Space, NIC, CyberAces, the Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM), Avue Technologies, SANS Institute, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal CIO Council, Cyber Ninjas, Kearney & Company, Deep Water Point, The Coleman Group, VMD, Valente & Associations, AMBIT, REI Systems, VISA and Accenture. Local sponsors for the western regional camp include Facebook, Kaiser Permanente, PG&E and the STC-TRUST.

More than 70 camp participants are attending the Western Regional camp and the executive roundtable. Attendees to the invitation-only camps were selected based in part on their scores from Cyber Quests, an online competition offered through the USCC in April that drew more than 1,600 participants from almost 700 schools nationwide.

The 2014 Cyber Summer Camp Series features two national weeklong camps and two statewide camps. The camps are part of several initiatives underway through USCC, a national campaign focused on identifying and developing cybersecurity talent to meet the country’s critical cybersecurity workforce needs.

For more information about the Cyber Camp program and each of the specific camps, visit USCC online at www.uscyberchallenge.org

About U.S. Cyber Challenge

U.S. Cyber Challenge (USCC) is a program of the Council on CyberSecurity, a 501(c)3 organization, and has the mission to significantly reduce the shortage in the cyber workforce by serving as the premier program to identify, attract, recruit and place the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. USCC’s goal is to find 10,000 of America’s best and brightest to fill the ranks of cybersecurity professionals where their skills can be of the greatest value to the nation. www.uscyberchallenge.org

About San Jose State University

San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 3,740 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.