The National Cyber League (NCL) has a new partner in its work to promote careers in cybersecurity: CompTIA. The certification company is helping NCL with its twice-yearly cybersecurity competitions designed for students interested in pursuing a career in hacking.
CompTIA will host the training sessions on the CompTIA Cybersecurity Career Pathway and offer preparatory sessions to help NCL players prepare for the 2020-21 competitions.
NCL head Kaitlyn Bestenheider (aka “CryptoKait”) will work with CompTIA to ensure that all industry sectors are integrated into the NCL hacking competition.
More than 10,000 students from 300 high schools and universities across the U.S. will compete in these games. Here are the dates for the next competition season:
- Registration opens on August 23rd
- Training starts from September 14th until December 8th
- The preparatory period for individual games is October 12 – October 19
- Individual games are October 23 – October 25
- Group games are on November 8th
The hacking competition is open to high school and college students in the United States, who will test their skills in identifying hackers from forensic data, penetration testing and website , and dealing with ransomware attacks. Entry costs $35.
Players who come out on top of the individual competitions in the NCL hacking competition will receive a free student membership to CompTIA.
Students who win in the team competitions will receive a free CompTIA certification exam voucher, study preparation materials, and full membership to CompTIA.
CompTIA has three security tracks: Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), CASP+, and PenTest+. CySA+ applies behavioral analytics to the cybersecurity field. CASP+ validates critical thinking and judgment across multiple security disciplines in complex environments. PenTest+ is for professionals who use penetration testing to manage vulnerabilities in a network.
NCL is a non-profit organization founded by public organizations dedicated to developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Cyber Skyline, an educational company, sponsors NCL .
There are other competitions that take place, such as the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, and the World Cyberlympics. Cyber Quests are online challenges that also test the security skills of participants.
