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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
- April 1
Noon
Entry-Level Roles & Hands-On Learning
CISA Tabletop Exercises
- April 8
Noon
Chemical Sector Cyber Attack
- April 22
Noon
Cyber Insider Threat
- April 29
Noon
Healthcare and Public Sector Attack
Cyber Brown Bags
- April 3 at noon
AI in Cyber, Deep Fakes
- April 24 at noon
AI in Cyber, SIEMs
- May 1 at noon
AI in Cyber, Ethics
- April 1
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Summer Camps, Workshops, & Events
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
July 8 – 12 or July 15 – 19
Ada County Center Pintail Building
RegistrationJoin 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 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
July 22 – 26
Ada County Center Pintail Building
RegistrationJoin 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 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.
High School Teacher Cyber Training Workshop
Coming Soon!
Ada County Center Pintail BuildingHigh school teachers are invited to join CWI's Cyber Defense Center for this workshop covering cybersecurity content that can be taught in high schools, an overview of cybersecurity elements, and principles of good cyber hygiene. This workshop will also have lab elements to practice what is being delivered. Teachers will be able to use content from this workshop in any of their technology courses. Those interested may set up a dual credit offering with CWI in the future. The workshop will meet state-approved cybersecurity high school teaching standards.
Laptop/PC Checkups
Coming Soon!
The Cyber Defense Center will be working with faculty and students to evaluate currently installed hardware and system performance on laptops or PCs for individuals within the community. Recommendations will then be provided on how to improve performance by changing system settings, upgrading hardware and what would be needed, as well as how to improve the security of the system.
The Cyber Defense Center is looking for students interested in assisting in these workshops. To volunteer, email cyberdefense@cwi.edu.
Hardware Installation Workshop
Coming Soon!
The Cyber Defense Center will also be offering a follow-up workshop in which faculty and students will show individuals in the community how to install their hardware upgrades, how to analyze or change their laptop or PC performance settings themselves, and offer additional security recommendations, if needed.
The Cyber Defense Center is looking for students interested in assisting in these workshops. To volunteer, email cyberdefense@cwi.edu.
General Computer Knowledge Workshops
Coming Soon!
The Cyber Defense Center will be hosting workshops on general computer knowledge. These workshops will assist those in the community who have an interest in learning about computers. If you know someone who would be interested in learning how to work a computer, what the icons on their desktop are for, how to set up a webcam so they can talk to family members, or any other general computer need, this is a great workshop to sign up for. The Cyber Defense Center will have faculty and students assisting with these workshops and answering questions.
If you are interested or know of someone who may benefit from this type of general computer knowledge, email cyberdefense@cwi.edu.
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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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Scholarships & Free Trainings
Below you will find information about cybersecurity scholarship opportunities, certification information, free cybersecurity trainings, and more.
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.
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 Learn Student Certifications
Eligible students can take up to eight Microsoft Learn fundamental certification exams for free this academic year, including the SC-900 Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals.
A Chart for Cybersecurity Certifications by Paul Jerimy
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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