The ICL Collegiate Cup is a hyper-realistic cyber-security tournament that provides hands-on experience defending against live-fire cyber-attacks – like the attacks encountered on the job
Boston, MA – May, 8th, 2023- Cyberbit, provider of the world’s leading cybersecurity skill development platform, announced the UK’s University of Warwick from Coventry as the winners of the 2023 spring edition of the ICL Collegiate Cup. The University of Warwick’s team, the “Wickwarriors”, demonstrated exceptional cyber defense skills, taking first place out of 90 teams from universities around the world. This year’s 3 runners-up were TAFE Queensland from Australia, and two universities from the state of Florida, the University of Central Florida, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The ICL Collegiate Cup mirrors cybersecurity programs at higher education institutions, offering an abbreviated version of skill building paths that deliver fundamental knowledge followed by hands-on learning. Teams participating in the ICL first had to pass round one of the competition, which comprised three hands-on cyber labs that tested basic knowledge and abilities. Teams that earned a high enough score in the labs then connected to Cyberbit’s cyber range where they experienced a hyper-realistic environment that simulated a virtual security operations center, including real networks and security tools, and a live-fire cyber-attack like the ones they will face on the job in their careers as cybersecurity professionals.
Dr. Harjinder Singh Lallie, PhD Discipline Group Leader at the University of Warwick said that “the ICL Collegiate tournament is one of the most important cybersecurity tournaments of the year, particularly as it involves so many universities. We are proud that the University of Warwick (WMG) team ‘Wickwarriors’ has come first in the competition in 2023. This is a testament to the continued enthusiasm, commitment, and energy that our students apply to cyber security throughout their course of studies.”
“The ICL Collegiate Cup was a fantastic experience that has sparked my passion for cybersecurity and motivated me to continue in this field. Winning the tournament is a significant professional accomplishment and will help me when I start applying for cybersecurity jobs,” added Joseph Bunce, student at University of Warwick and Wickerwarriors team member.
Emmanuel Dimitri Michaelides, student at TAFE Queensland and member of PolyKeK, said “we were very excited to compete in the Collegiate Cup and extremely proud to take third place. TAFE Queensland has integrated the Cyberbit platform into its cybersecurity program and training on the Cyberbit labs and cyber range was instrumental in preparing our team for the tournament and giving us the confidence and the tools we needed to excel.”
“This is the second year in a row that we’ve sent a team to the ICL Collegiate Cup and we’re very proud to have placed both times,” said Harrison Keating, student at University of Central Florida and member of the Knightsec team, which took second place in the competition. “The competition is a great opportunity to get hands-on with industry tools and do real incident response, and the Cyberbit platform is a joy to work with. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow our cybersecurity skills in the next tournament.”
The Cyberbit platform prepares learners for a career in cybersecurity by delivering a realistic, hands-on, virtual learning environment, mirroring scenarios students will encounter on the job. As in previous ICLs, participants in the spring 2023 ICL had to demonstrate their skills and knowledge of malware analysis, Windows OS and Linux OS, and leading security tools such as Splunk Enterprise Security, Palo Alto Firewall, and others.
“The cybersecurity skills gap is of critical importance to all of us and we believe that the ICL Collegiate Cup is an excellent way to inspire more interest in cybersecurity careers. It has proven to be immensely successful at giving cybersecurity students a glimpse of what they can expect from a career in cybersecurity and at preparing them for some of the challenges they will face on the job,” said Susan Green, National Director at Cyberbit. “We are happy to see such high-quality, dedicated students come to compete in the tournament and gratified that we can provide an immersive, hands-on experience that inspires them and can help them in their future cybersecurity careers. Congratulations to our winners and job well done to all the participants.”
About Cyberbit
Cyberbit provides hands-on cybersecurity education and training and addresses the global cybersecurity skill gap through its world-leading cyber skills development platform. Colleges and universities use Cyberbit to increase student enrollment and retention, train industry organizations, and position their institutions as regional cybersecurity hubs by providing simulation-based learning and training. The Cyberbit platform delivers a hyper-realistic experience that immerses learners in a virtual security operations center (SOC), where they use real-world security tools to respond to real-world, simulated cyberattacks. As a result, it prepares students for their careers in cybersecurity from day-one after their graduation and reduces the need to learn on the job. Cyberbit delivers over 1000,000 training sessions annually across 5 continents. Customers include Fortune 500 companies, MSSPs, system integrators, higher education institutions and governments. Cyberbit is headquartered in Israel with offices in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Contacts for Media
If you would like more information about Cyberbit, please contact Susan Green at susan.green@cyberbit.com