The Charger Blog
The Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) event will bring teams from nine institutions, as far away as Texas, to compete at the AV天堂网. They will gain exciting real-world experience, collaborating in the role of professional penetration testers.
October 27, 2023
For Jarred Foley 鈥24, the upcoming at the AV天堂网 is about more than cybersecurity. It鈥檚 about growth, teamwork, and leadership. And he can鈥檛 wait to welcome teams from schools around the region 鈥 and beyond 鈥 to compete at the University.
A cybersecurity and networks major, Foley is helping lead the charge of planning the event. Whether he鈥檚 managing t-shirt purchases or interacting with the teams to ascertain their needs, he says it鈥檚 been a great experience.
As he鈥檚 helped plan the competition, Foley has drawn on his background in the U.S. Air Force as a noncommissioned officer in charge of electronic security in Minot, North Dakota. It prepared him for collaborating with the sponsoring organization and the individuals from the institutions who will take part in CPTC.
鈥淭his has been a great learning experience,鈥 said Foley. 鈥淚t has been wonderful to learn from Professor Page as well. She has been so helpful.鈥
Liberty Page, M.S. is serving as the event host, and Foley has been her assistant planning the program. Prof. Page is excited that the University鈥檚 Connecticut Institute of Technology will be hosting a CPTC regional for the fifth time 鈥 and she鈥檚 been actively involved in hosting the event each of those years. This year鈥檚 competition will be held on campus on Saturday, November 11, and Sunday, November 12.
The competition enables teams of students to collaborate in the role of professional penetration testers, working for a fictional company. Nine teams, from far away as Texas, will be coming to the University for the competition. Participating teams include Rutgers University, the United States Military Academy, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, and Northeastern University.
鈥淚 am grateful to the Connecticut Institute of Technology in the Tagliatela College of Engineering for sponsoring the 2023 New England Regional Qualifier of the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition,鈥 said Prof. Page, coordinator of the University鈥檚 B.S. in Cybersecurity and Networks program. 鈥淚 am excited to give students this opportunity to participate in a competition that mimics the activities of real-world penetration tests, including interacting with company representatives, writing up their findings, and presenting their results.
CPTC is a unique real-world collegiate cybersecurity competition. It focuses on evaluating the activities teams are likely to perform during a real penetration-testing task conducted by companies, professional firms, and internal security departments. Students interact with company representatives, prepare a report of their findings, and present their results to a panel of judges from leading companies and organizations, creating exciting networking opportunities.
鈥淭he CPTC judges come from some of the top companies in our industry,鈥 said Prof. Page. 鈥淚 am grateful for RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), the CPTC Global host, all the volunteers from industry, and our faculty and students for supporting this event.鈥
The University鈥檚 own hacking team will be competing in the event. Jonathan Chute 鈥25, 鈥26 M.S., the team鈥檚 captain, has been meeting with his teammates each week to prepare for the competition. While many of them are experienced in cybersecurity, for some, this is their first such competition.
鈥淚 have a lot of faith in our abilities,鈥 said Chute, a cybersecurity and networks major. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all close, and there鈥檚 a lot of camaraderie between us. As captain, I look to them for ideas, and we learn from each other.鈥
The champion of the regional competition will qualify for the CPTC global competition, and the runner-up teams will also have the opportunity to qualify as a wild card. The Chargers Hacking Team has previously captured second place at the regional, and they鈥檙e aiming to place in this year鈥檚 competition as well.
Regardless of where the team places, Chute says it鈥檚 a big deal that the University is hosting it. He鈥檚 excited to welcome visiting teams to the University.
鈥淭his is great for the University, and it puts us front and center,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e are a strong cybersecurity school, and that鈥檚 important. The fact that this competition is hosted on our campus is very important to the University.鈥
The event is already attracting support and excitement across the University, as dozens of volunteers have signed on to be a part of the event, including many graduate students. Foley, the event planner, was excited by how many of his fellow Chargers wanted to be involved. He hopes CPTC is a rewarding and fun event for all of them, as well as for the students who will be competing.
鈥淭he whole goal of the competition is to foster an environment for learning in a competitive space,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f the teams take away something new or make connections with other schools, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e hoping to help foster. That鈥檚 what I鈥檇 like to see.鈥
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