HUNTSVILLE – A student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville recently won the 2024 Department of Energy (DOE) CyberForce competition, a national contest designed to hone cybersecurity skills and visibility by challenging students to face off in simulated cyber-focused scenarios centered on securing operational energy technology from adversarial forces.
Hunter Wittenborn, a computer science major heading into his sophomore year at UAH, topped 149 students from 77 universities and colleges across the country to emerge victorious. The event was hosted by the DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and the Argonne National Laboratory.
“The competition had a focus on cybersecurity, delving into things such as network inspection and server administration topics,” Wittenborn said. “There were moments that had me stumped, and even some things I hadn’t looked into before. I stayed motivated throughout the entire competition, though, and it proved to be well worth my time! My main goal was simply to see how far I could get, though the competitive aspect definitely started to kick in as I went on.
“I especially saw the support people showed each other throughout the competition, and that was by far one of the best things I took away from the event.”
The need for workers with sophisticated cyber skills is increasing. From January 2023-2024, there were only 82 workers available for every 100 cybersecurity job openings in the United States, according to 2023 CyberSeek data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“My roots are definitely in my passions for programming and server administration,” Wittenborn saidd. “This competition exposed me to some niche areas of cybersecurity that I’ll continue to explore going forward. My tech-related interests proved to be advantageous, but the event also exemplified how there’s always more out there to learn.
“My spark for cybersecurity has grown through this competition, and without a doubt I’ll be looking into how I can incorporate this into my craft as I continue through my career.”
The CyberForce Program includes the team-based CyberForce Competition®, webinars, virtual career fairs and an online workforce portal. Students can develop skills, find job opportunities and stay informed about upcoming events and training by visiting the CyberForce website.
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