NW Cyber Camp is a great way to explore a career in cybersecurity and develop your technical skills. Designed to be engaging and informative for high school students, camp emphasizes key cybersecurity concepts and technologies, ethics, and career opportunities in the field. No previous cybersecurity knowledge or experience is required, but general experience with computers and a real interest in learning is expected. Camp makes the serious subject of cybersecurity approachable for students and all concepts will be introduced starting at a fundamental level. Additionally, students with prior knowledge and experience will have an opportunity to explore advanced topics & challenges, providing learning opportunities for students of every skill level.
The curriculum was developed by Oregon State University’s cybersecurity academic and research department with input from high school educators. There is no cost to attend due to support from the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, generous donors, and a grant from GenCyber.
Curriculum
The program is divided into three major components, beginning with a deep dive into core cybersecurity concepts including confidentiality, integrity, availability (C-I-A), defense in depth, architecture, and ethics. Following the deep dive into core concepts, you will join a teams and engage in a week-long interactive, online curriculum designed to reinforce these concepts.
The curriculum is scenario-based; your team will be confronted with a simulated network and computer attack in progress. Together, you will use a wide variety of tools to find, trace, diagnose, and stop the attack before the adversary can exfiltrate valuable data and encrypt-in-place. Some highlights of the curriculum include:
- Introduction to network security monitoring including hands-on SIEM use, common alert types, and identification of different types of network traffic.
- Identification of several types of network attacks/compromises, including ransomware, data exfiltration.
- Forensics analysis on various data formats and programs such as email, web
- Password cracking, other methods attackers use to break cryptography.
Throughout the week, teams experience real-world group dynamics as you investigate the simulated attack. On the last day of the camp, teams will create a presentation, and share with the group what you found and how you found it. This hands-on approach offer you practical experience in defending against cyber threats in realistic scenarios.
Industry Guest Speakers
Throughout the week, you will meet industry experts. Our guest speakers, from major cybersecurity companies and enterprises, share their career journeys and talk about their organizations. These sessions are interactive and will include career advice, providing you with valuable insights into career opportunities in the field.
School-Year Activities
Come out and play! NW Cyber Camp participants will be invited to participate in a high school Capture the Flag competition, similar to the college-level cyber league events. “Flags,” in a CTF cybersecurity competition, represent sensitive or secret information that would be stored on a computer. You will earn points towards prizes as you find and capture virtual “flags” by answering questions, proving that you recovered the sensitive data in various challenges. Players can have access to the “practice gym” prior to the competition. Playing in the gym will familiarize everyone with the Challenge Categories and format. Using the gym on your own time is not a requirement, but it is a great opportunity to practice finding flags and get comfortable in the environment.
Expect an invitation to a statewide conference for cybersecurity professionals. The event features a track of workshops for youth as well as a career expo where you can meet organizations interested in meeting future cybersecurity employees. Date and location to be announced.