On 7 November 2009, in 44 states, D.C., and Japan, roughly 200 teams of AFJROTC and CAP high school students will gather around a computer, enter a password, and begin the largest live high school cyber defense competition ever conducted. AFA’s CyberPatriot II is still a “proof of concept” initiative, but 7 November will be a giant leap – and on 26 September an important event reassured us that the leap was possible.

The technology for this remarkable initiative is being provided by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a Founding Partner of CyberPatriot. Four teams from two schools, Metro HS in Columbus, OH, and Choctawhatchee HS in Fort Walton Beach, FL, downloaded a virtual image, unlocked the contents using the password provided at the start of the exercise, connected their systems to a scoring server in San Diego, CA, via a web interface, and then proceeded to compete. Their goal was to remove the vulnerabilities that were pre-configured in the Competition Image. The ability to securely connect hundreds of schools simultaneously via the internet and conduct cyber defense exercises opens the door to more routine games for everyone. This BETA test was conducted to prove the technology and procedures in preparation for the actual CyberPatriot II competition in November. At that time, 200-plus schools will compete in Qualification Rounds using the same basic technology and procedures. The top 25 schools will again compete remotely to determine which eight will travel to Orlando in February for the final Face-to-Face Round.

The winning BETA test team is: Metro High School Team Three, Code Name BACON, achieving a score of 100% in 1 hour and 44 minutes and 13 seconds; Congratulations!

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