"Collegiate Students Fired up to Protect Virtual Solar Facility From Cyberattack"

The Argonne National Laboratory will lead the 2022 CyberForce Competition, which will encourage college and university students in the US to consider cybersecurity careers that will protect the nation's energy systems. In the US Department of Energy (DOE) CyberForce Competition, college and university students from across the country will attempt to prevent a simulated cyberattack on an up-and-coming electric vehicle manufacturer's solar installation. The CyberForce Competition is part of the DOE's CyberForce Program, which aims to develop the next generation of cyber defenders. The CyberForce Competition provides students with an opportunity to learn and practice skills useful in careers that protect the nation's critical energy sector, such as power plants and renewable energy facilities. In order to engage students in compelling emergency scenarios, the competition employs realistic components such as cyber-physical infrastructure, lifelike anomalies and constraints, and actual users of the systems. Participants and volunteers gain knowledge and understanding of cyber-physical threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences due to the competition. They have a hands-on approach to infrastructure security, from servers and virtual machines to physical devices on their tables. Because their scores include users' ability to continue normal work operations, all competitors face the challenge of balancing security and usability. Students will be tasked in this year's scenario with assisting a fast-growing electric vehicle manufacturer in hardening and securing the systems of its recently acquired solar installation, which appears to be harmed. To protect and strengthen it against current and future attacks, a thorough inspection of its vulnerabilities and a series of innovations are required. This article continues to discuss the 2022 CyberForce Competition.

SCIENMAG reports "Collegiate Students Fired up to Protect Virtual Solar Facility From Cyberattack"