NYU-Poly Students Challenge Peers in Cyber War Games

6th Annual Cyber Security Awareness Week Builds New Generation of Cyber Security Stars

With cyber security fraud costing businesses more than a trillion dollars worldwide and enforcement agencies facing shortages that can delay forensics investigations for years, the graduate students of a leading information security program devised the 2009 cyber war games to attract the next generation of cyber sleuths.

Graduate students of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University this week opened registration for the 6th Annual Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) games.

Last year, more than 500 students from more than 100 graduate, undergraduate and high schools across the country competed in challenges devised by the students of NYU-Poly’s Information Systems and Internet Security Lab, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.  This year, they added a forensics challenge for teams from top mathematics and science high schools.

The goal of the games is to identify the next generation of cyber security stars who can fight the increasing threat to governments, business, institutions and individuals.

Students who win the initial rounds at their own computers will be invited to attend the finals and awards ceremony at NYU-Poly’s Brooklyn campus.  They will meet cyber security celebrities, sponsoring companies that employ the top talent in the field and representatives of police forces, government and the U.S. military who can give them insight on the career.  Top prizes include a NYU-Poly scholarship for the winning graduate student.

The game challenges will be sent to registrants in mid-September, culminating in the final rounds and awards ceremonies on Friday, November 13.

For more information or to register, visit the CSAW 2009 web page.