CyberPatriot Program - Cypress College Career Education

Cypress College Career EducationDepartmentsCyberPatriot Program

CyberPatriot Program (Faculty Advisor: Ben Izadi)

Our CyberPatriot program prepares middle school (MS) and high school (HS) students to compete in the national CyberPatriot competition sponsored by the Air & Space Forces Association. The CyberPatriot competition is the nation’s largest cyber defense competition that puts HS and MS students in charge of securing virtual networks. To prepare for the competition, MS/HS students participate in various Cypress College training sessions to secure Linux and Windows machines and configure/troubleshoot Cisco networking devices.

The number of students participating in our training events has increased from 836 in 2016-2017 CyberPatriot season to 4274 in 2021-2022 season. During the past season (2021-2022) Cypress College mentors provided Zoom training to three elementary schools (ES), 4 MS, and 6 HS on a weekly basis for a period of three and a half months.

Center of Excellence

Southern California Community College Consortium (SoCalCCCC) is a coalition of 7 colleges including Coastline, Cypress, Irvine Valley, Long Beach City, Saddleback, and Santa Ana. The consortium is formed to cooperate in cybersecurity related activities including regional CyberPatriot training and competition events. SoCalCCCC has been recognized as one of the 18 national centers of excellence in CyberPatriot training and competition by the Air & Space Forces Association since 2016.

Superintendent’s Cup

Our Superintendent Cup Competition introduces 6th-grade students to cybersecurity concepts during the academic year. We had about 63 students during the 2021-2022 season and have grown to 70 students for the current season (2022-2023). Additionally, we have increased the number of schools participating in our program to four elementary schools from three surrounding districts. Students participate in three rounds of various activities that will test their knowledge on topics related to Information Technology and Cybersecurity that they have been learning throughout the semester. They will also get the opportunity to compete in a Capture the Flag (CTF) round. The goal is to develop an interest in the field of Cybersecurity in the younger generation. Our approach introduces cybersecurity activities as early as elementary school. It encourages students to join our CyberPatriot program as soon as they reach Middle school. Cypress College is excited to help train, mentor, and develop the future generation of high-quality cybersecurity professionals. To conclude the season, we invite our students and their families to an Awards Night to celebrate their achievements. Previous Awards Night information can be found here: 2021-2022 Superintendent’s Cup & Cybersecurity Awards Ceremony