After months of preparation and competition, the Cyber Patriots team is heading to Washington, D.C., for the CyberPatriot XVII National Finals. As one of just 12 teams in the Open Division, they’ve proven their skills in cybersecurity and teamwork, securing their place among the best in the nation.
Cyber Patriots, a program founded by the U.S. Air Force, introduces students to cybersecurity, programming, and IT concepts through hands-on challenges. Competitions involve securing computer systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and working as a team to solve real-world problems under a 4 hour time limit.
“They give you computers you have to secure – they have vulnerabilities in them,” junior Aidan Crinon said. “Part of it is securing stuff against new stuff, and then the other part is fixing what’s already wrong with them.”
Preparation for competitions varies by team members, with practicing at home or at the ICSI cybersecurity training campus.
“We have practice images that we can do at home or at ICSI,” junior Brodie Bulman said. “It’s just a team training thing – we all get together, work on the practice images, and then look over what we want to do first.”
The national competition, set for March 14-18, will push the team further than ever before.
“It’s more of the same stuff, but the challenges are harder, and there’s more to do,” Crinon said. “We have eight systems instead of the usual three or four, and there are active hackers trying to prevent us from securing them.”
Beyond competition, Cyber Patriots opens doors to future opportunities in cybersecurity.
“It has a lot of real-world use,” junior Nihaal Biswal said. “It’s very relevant stuff – it’s like what you’d find if you were working a job in security.”
The program also offers career benefits, including scholarships and internships.
“There’s an all-service division through ROTC, but you don’t have to be affiliated with JROTC to compete. There are a lot of awards and opportunities you can get through it,” Crinon said.
For students interested in joining, team members emphasize that no prior experience is required.
“It’s extremely beginner-friendly,” Bulman said. “When we first started, there were a bunch of videos that had the basics. Mr. Beck over at ICSI really drove the program by creating resources to make it easier to learn.”
With nationals just around the corner, the team remains focused and determined.
“We’re just really proud of our six team members going to represent Johnson,” CyberPatriot sponsor Leah Plumas said. “I think we’re going to do very well, and it’s going to be a great trip.”
