Cyber Defense
In the cyber security/cyber defense track students are taught how to protect computers, networks and the information that resides on this eqiupment from attackers. No advance knowledge of computers, operating systems or networking is assumed.
Each school that forms an IT-Club with interest in the information assurance/cyber defense content area sets up their own practice cyber security lab at their high school after receiving basic instruction on operating system installation and security delivered via DVDs. Additionally, on the DVDs there are handout materials that step students through setups and configurations of equipment.
This year the IT-Adventures program will not provide computers. All IT-Clubs are responsible for acquiring computers for setting up their own cyber defense lab at their own schools. Because you will be installing new, probably open source, operating systems on these machines you will need to find computers to use. These computers DO NOT need to be new! Used computers from a local company will work.
Since many companies wipe their computer information from donated machines, you may request 1 Windows XP license and the installation CD to install an operating on one of the used computers you get which will allow you to practice with an end user machine.
We have provided a list of what you get in the venue and the base computer specifications needed to run the software we provide.
The software we provide is open source software that can be installed to get practice running servers and services that will be required in the IT-Olympics.
Through the help of the Technology Association of Iowa each school is also paired with an IT professional who serves as a mentor for the students and advisor. The mentor's role is to support experimental learning and help students when they have an experiment go awry.
After experimentation in their own cyber security labs at their high schools, the teams have an opportunity to participate in the cyber defense competition held as part of the IT-Olympics.
Each team in the cyber defense competition is given remote access to their competition network approximately one month before the competition. Their competition network gives the students the opportunity to take what they have learned by setting up their own cyber security lab at their high school and apply it. The primary challenge is to setup a simulated corporate environment complete with required services such as email, web and programming, as well as having end users and an Internet connection.
To add complexing and a real world flavor, their competition networks fall under the attack of intruders played by graduate students and IT professionals.
While there is no cost to forming the club nor obtaining the materials, each IT-Club is required to perform a community service project related to their content area(s). Any team that competes in an IT-Olympics venue must submit a poster describing their IT community service project in that venue and do an oral presentation. Both of which will be judged during the competition and contribute to their overall cyber defense score.
