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College of Western Idaho's (CWI) Cyber Defense Center hosts several activities for students to participate in as part of community outreach and in collaboration with other CAE accredited colleges, universities, and institutions. Below you will find information on current and future events.
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Security Operations Center Activities
Cyber Webinars
- Sept. 4 @ Noon
Career Advice & Resumes - Sept. 18 @ Noon
How to Break into Cybersecurity - Oct. 2 @ Noon
Build a Career in Cyber in Three Months - Oct. 16 @ Noon
Entry Level Roles & Hands-On Learning
CISA Tabletop Exercises
- Sept. 16 @ Noon
Voting Machine Compromise - Sept. 30 @ Noon
Cyber Insider Threat - Oct. 14 @ Noon
Healthcare & Public Sector Attack - Oct. 28 @ Noon
Water/Wastewater Systems - Oct. 30 @ Noon
Chemical Sector Cyber Attack - Nov. 11 @ Noon
Ransomware
Cyber Brown Bags
- Nov. 13 @ Noon
Popular Cyber Scams
- Sept. 4 @ Noon
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Competitions
NCL Competition
- 7 members per team at $35 each
- Bi-annual event in October/November & March/April
The National Cyber League's (NCL) mission is to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by providing high school and college students, as well as their coaches, an online, safe platform of real-world cybersecurity challenges. The NCL's virtual training ground features a competitive process and supportive community helping students develop, improve, and validate their cybersecurity skills. Students’ progress and strengths are validated through their individual Scouting Reports and team rankings, enabling recruiters to easily determine students’ fit for open positions.
NIATEC Invitational Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NICCDC)
- TBA
- 4 members per team, $25 each
The NIATEC Invitational Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NICCDC) is a regional, collegiate, cyber defense competition. Participants will be immersed in an environment where they will be required to manage resources and information systems by applying cybersecurity principles and tools to perform the tasks related to system security administration, digital forensics, secure software development, security policy development and compliance, industrial control systems, and the NICE framework. Participants will need to incorporate the information assurance principles outlined in federal policy and standards such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) special publications, Risk Management Framework (RMF), Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), and Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). This competition exposes participants to the above-mentioned information assurance attributes through the CIA triad: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
CyberForce Competition
- November 2024
The CyberForce Competition is a defend/attack cyber-physical scenario that helps participants increase their knowledge and understanding of cyber-physical threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences.
Venture College Cyber Challenge
- February – April
This is a ‘reverse pitch’ competition, which means you don’t have to bring your own idea. Participants will choose a problem provided by industry partners and propose a solution in the form of a new venture. Teams will compete for cash prizes as they solve cybersecurity challenges critical to industry growth. At the same time, they will be building a viable venture for themselves and making helpful connections to mentors and industry leaders.
Venture College will lead participants through a week-long sprint to test, validate, and launch their venture. Teams will be working with industry experts, business leaders, and mentors to help them craft their venture and pitch.
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Summer Camps, Workshops, & Events
Cyber Training Workshops
By Appointment
Ada County Center Pintail BuildingIndividuals, businesses, and faculty are invited to join CWI's Cyber Defense Center for workshops covering an overview of cybersecurity content, an explanation of cybersecurity elements, and a discussion of the principles of good cyber hygiene and cyber awareness. These workshops will also have lab elements to practice what is being delivered. You will be able to use content from these workshops both in your home and in your workplace. Those interested may set up a date and time for the delivery of these workshops by contacting sarahoyt@cwi.edu (208)562-2553.
Idaho Cyber Range Event Day
Annual Event in April & October
Ada County Center Pintail BuildingStudents in all Idaho Higher-Education institutions are invited to participate in an Idaho Cyber Range (ICR) Event Day.
The ICR Event Day will consist of six to eight activities related to general STEM and specifics about cybersecurity For example, network packet sniffing with Wireshark in which we will discuss network monitoring and demonstrate Wireshark. We will then have the participants, working together in groups through a lab exercise, using Wireshark to load and examine a packet capture file and score points based on questions they can answer about packets in the file.
Many other presentations and labs will be available throughout the day. The Higher-Education Institutions across Idaho participating in the ICR Event Day invites members of the public who want to learn about cyber, local high schools and technical schools, as well as teachers who want to learn and do activities related to cyber.
RASPBERRY PI SUMMER CAMP
Coming Soon!
Join us for a five-day summer day camp and learn the basics of computing and cybersecurity. This program is designed for high school students to introduce them to the growing field of cybersecurity through hands-on activities. Campers will receive their own Raspberry Pi and learn the basics of programming, circuit design, and cyber-physical systems.
Campers will also get to interact with peers and mentors and explore the possibilities of a challenging and rewarding career path. On the last day of camp, campers will get to use their new skills to solve challenging puzzles and participate in a capture the flag activity facilitated by the Idaho National Laboratory. No prior knowledge or skills are required.
There is a $200 fee associated with this camp, which covers the cost of lunch and supplies each day. However, we are offering scholarships for those in need. If you would like to participate in this scholarship opportunity, please reach out to sarahoyt@cwi.edu.
Cyber Summer Camp
Coming Soon!
Join CWI for Cyber Summer Camp! This week-long event is aimed at teaching high school students the basics of computing, cybersecurity, and information technology through hands-on experience.
This will be a five-day summer day camp where students will learn the basics of computing and cybersecurity. This program is designed for high school students to introduce them to the growing field of cybersecurity through hands-on activities.
Campers will also get to interact with peers and mentors and explore the possibilities of a challenging and rewarding career path. On the last day of camp, campers will get to use their new skills to solve challenging puzzles and participate in a capture the flag activity facilitated by the Idaho National Laboratory. No prior knowledge or skills are required.
There is a $200 fee associated with this camp, which covers the cost of lunch and supplies each day. However, we are offering scholarships for those in need. If you would like to participate in this scholarship opportunity, please reach out to sarahoyt@cwi.edu.
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Scholarships & Free Microsoft & Amazon Web Services Cloud Trainings
Last Mile Scholarship
The Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program supports community college degree and industry certificate completion through financial assistance (up to $500) and subsidies for cybersecurity certification exam costs (up to $375). Financial assistance is intended to cover short-term basic needs, such as food, rent, health care, transportation/car issues, and/or a laptop/device. In addition to funding, students will receive a year of LinkedIn Premium and access to the GitHub Student Developer Pack for free. This is not a loan. All students with financial need are eligible, and students from groups who are underrepresented in cybersecurity are especially encouraged to apply. The program is operated by the Last Mile Education Fund and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
A Chart for Cybersecurity Certifications by Paul Jerimy
Cyber Security Certification Roadmap
Microsoft Free Online Cybersecurity Trainings for Educators
Microsoft Learn for Educators takes the best of learning paths and enables you to bring this Microsoft Official Curriculum and instructor-led training materials into your classroom. Eligible educators and faculty members at colleges, universities, community colleges, polytechnics, and secondary schools can access Microsoft's ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft Certifications. These certifications augment a student's existing degree path and validate the skills needed to be successful across a variety of technical careers. Microsoft for Educators
Microsoft Learn Student Certifications
Eligible students can take up to eight Microsoft Learn for Students fundamental certification exams for free this academic year, including the SC-900 Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals.
Advance your career with Free Microsoft training
Discover Microsoft Certifications and free learning paths from Microsoft Learn for in-demand job roles. Microsoft Learn for Professionals
Amazon Web Services Free Trainings
- Online Cloud Training
- Machine Learning & AI
- Database Training
- Security Training
- AWS Enterprise Training
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Cybersecurity Speaker Series
The Cyber Defense Center will be having guest speakers present to students and those interested in cybersecurity about how to succeed in cybersecurity, how to get into the field of cybersecurity, what skills or certifications are recommended for a career in cybersecurity, etc.
Schedule of presentations coming soon!
Questions?
- MS, MBA
- Center of Academic Excellence - Cyber Defense Accreditation Alternate Point of Contact