Press Release

---

[Governor Parson to attend and address]

[SPRINGFIELD, MO Sept 17, 2019] — The Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet) are hosting the innaugural Cybersecurity Challenge, which begins this week in high schools throughout the state. Missouri High School Students will begin Round 1 of the competition in their schools by virtual testing of their cybersecurity skills. The top 10 teams advance to Round 2 which will be held at MOREnet’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, October 9 at Tan Tar A Resort. There, the teams will access a virtual capture the flag environment which tests their cybersecurity skills. The top three teams will win a variety of prizes, including cash grants for the school and scholarships for the team members. Prizes will be presented to the top 3 teams by Governor Parson, who will speak at the challenge. Other great speakers attending include officials from the US Department of Education and US Defense Information Systems Agency.


Cybersecurity skills are in high demand, and that demand is increasing. It's estimated that there will likely be 3.5 million unfilled cyber security jobs by 2021. It's vitally important to expose students to cyber security concepts and practices; learning how to penetrate a network from a hacker's viewpoint helps prepare future cyber security experts for the challenges they'll face on the job. This contest highlights various methodologies about applied critical thinking as it relates to securing a network.


The Missouri High School Cyber Security Challenge is a multi-round competition that tests students’ skills in networking, programming and operating system security. Up to 450 students will compete in Round 1. The top 10 teams will compete in round two at the MOREnet

Annual Conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort on October 9. Teams consist of three high school students and one adult sponsor.


Important Dates September 16 - 19: Round one completed at school. September 20: Round one winners announced. Top 10 teams advance to round two. October 9: Round two held at MOREnet Annual Conference between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Challenge will culminate during the MOREnet Annual Conference with the students accessing Alphaville (Cyber Capture the Flag Environment), followed by an awards ceremony.


About MCCoE:
The Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (MCCoE) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit security operations center that serves students, businesses, government agencies, and the community. The MCCoE provides security services through its staff and student interns. By providing a rich and interactive learning environment, we build the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, connect the right people to the right careers, and close the gap in demand for these professionals in the State of Missouri regional workplace.


Thank you to Drury University, Missouri State University and Southwest Baptist University, MCCoE’s current academic supporters. The Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is open to partnering with organizations that would like to learn more and become involved in this mission. If you are an academic, government or corporate entity that supports and invests in cybersecurity for your organization, contact the MCCoE to learn more about partnership: https://mccoe.org


More information: Missouri High School Cybersecurity Challenge: https://www.more.net/professional-development/missouri-high-school-cyber-security- challenge (This includes a complete list of participating schools)
MOREnet Annual Conference:
http://www.cvent.com/events/2019-morenet-annual-conference
Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence:

https://mccoe.org/