Registration opens for High School ND Cyber Madness tournament

Bismarck, N.D. (OCT. 24, 2022) – The State of North Dakota Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley announced the upcoming second annual North Dakota Cyber Madness High School tournament. This event is a three-round competition designed for, and open to, all North Dakota High School students (this includes public, private, tribal, and home school students who reside in North Dakota). All high schools are encouraged to form teams of up to five students and a coach. The coach can register the team for the event at: North Dakota Schools can register for the competition.

Students will work to solve a variety of cybersecurity challenges. The competition will be held Feb. 16 – 18, 2023. Bismarck State College (BSC) will host the event at the National Energy Center of Excellence (NECE) in Bismarck, N.D.

Teams will participate in Capture the Flag (CTF) – a competition format for a fun, interactive cybersecurity challenge. These challenges will be based on several concepts including physical and virtual addressing, packet encapsulation, network and endpoint security technologies, security principles and more! Students participating in the competition should have an interest in technology. It will also be helpful if students understand concepts around security and computer networks but is not necessary. Knowledge materials and instruction will be provided to the students. Regardless of skill level, the tournament is an opportunity to learn new skills and concepts while working in a safe environment.

To prepare for the event, students will have access to the Palo Alto Network Security Fundamentals course. Education resources will be shared with verified registered teams and coaches.

“North Dakota is the first state to adopt computer science and cybersecurity curriculum standards,” said State Superintendent and administrator of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler. “It is our vision for all PK-12 North Dakota students to have the opportunity to obtain a foundational understanding in this area because it is critically important in today’s world. The Cyber Madness tournament gives students an opportunity to put what they have learned to the test in a fun, competitive manner as they navigate real-world scenarios.”

“We hope to have double the teams participate this year, and that this experience will garner interest from students to the fastest-growing industry of the 21st century,” Riley said.

Timeline:

The ND Cyber Madness High School planning partners include:

• North Dakota Information Technology
• Career and Technical Education
• Department of Public Instruction
• Department of Emergency Services
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Palo Alto Networks

Interested in being a sponsor?

Go to: EduTech | Cyber Madness Sponsors (nodak.edu) for descriptions and each of the benefits that accompany the sponsorship and a Commitment Form to solidify your slot for this exciting event!