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UW-Stout Students Protect Organizations’ Digital Footprints, Win State Competition

UW-Stout Students Protect Organizations’ Digital Footprints, Win State Competition

Above Photo: Similar to the lock-picking station, Information Security Professionals club members practice picking the lock on handcuffs.

Like boot prints left in the dust on the moon, your digital footprint can never be erased. So, how do you protect data that’s meant to last forever?

“In our student clubs, we have opportunities to use professional tools that we may not use in our labs and classes. We work on our skills in our free time and outside of class,”

With the moon rising on a cold February evening, two University of Wisconsin-Stout student organizations made up of computer sciencecomputer networking and information technology; and cybersecurity students – future cybersecurity agents – meet to learn ways to help keep your digital footprint under lock and key.

The Collegiate Cyber Defense League (CCDC) team meets weekly to rigorously prepare for competitions and offers students a more competitive cybersecurity experience, while the Information Security Professionals student club gatherings host more leisurely cybersecurity activities.

Follow the students’ cybersecurity experiences in a photo essay.

CCDC President David Tesar, a computer science senior from Lety, Czech Republic, became interested in cybersecurity his junior year in high school after attending a Cisco-sponsored event.

“In our student clubs, we have opportunities to use professional tools that we may not use in our labs and classes. We work on our skills in our free time and outside of class,” he said. “I encourage other students to attend and to open their eyes to what you don’t learn in school.”

In Micheels Hall’s Cybersecurity Lab, the CCDC team gathers in small groups around three computer stations. Several six-foot-tall servers blink with red and green lights in large, locked black cases. New server switches are stacked in the corner waiting to be installed.

At the recent CCDC qualifying state round, the team won first place among teams from Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. They’re now gearing up to compete in the 2024 Midwest Collegiate Cyber Defense regional competition this March, in Chicago.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY AND MORE PHOTOS!

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