CCI industry partner puts interns to the test

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June 2023

CCI-affiliated CACI interns compete in a cybersecurity event at CACI headquarters in Reston, Va. Shown from right to left: Carly Wolfe of Virginia Tech, Andrew Franck of Regent University, and Aiden Noonan of Virginia Military Institute. Photo by Ron Aira for CCI.

A Message from the Executive Director

Dear <<First Name>>,

Summer is the perfect time for students to hone key cybersecurity skills by working shoulder to shoulder with leading cybersecurity experts. Along with working on projects, about a dozen CCI-affiliated CACI interns participated in CACI Con, a capture-the-flag event held this month at CACI International’s headquarters in Reston, Va.

We partnered with CACI and the Virginia Cyber Range to create and host the capture-the-flag event, which featured reconnaissance, cryptography, network forensics, web, reverse engineering, and more. The challenges ranged from novice to advanced levels, allowing interns and CACI employees to sharpen and test their skill sets.

CACI first met their summer interns at CCI-sponsored events, including the Commonwealth Cyber Fusion event in February. CACI’s interns include students at George Mason University, Laurel Ridge Community College, Radford University, Regent University, Virginia Military Institute, and Virginia Tech. More than a few of the CACI employees competing in the event started out as interns.

The Debugging Devas team took the top prize. Team members are Daniel Getter, Jax Dunfee, Matthew Johnson, and Michael Jury. They’re also current or former George Mason University students.

Registration Open for the
CCI Internship and Job Fair

The CCI Internship and Job Fair will be Sept. 27. It’s a great way for students to meet potential top employers from around the state and for employers to meet future hires. Registration is open now.

Some of the participating organizations include:

Employers interested in participating can contact Austin Shock, ashock@vt.edu.

Explore the new Experiential Learning Program 2023 funded projects

We’ve funded seven experiential learning projects this month, giving students crucial cybersecurity on-the-job training in areas such as privacy protection and mobile software development.

While many of the projects expand on successful programs, we have two exciting newcomers.

William & Mary is creating a pre-apprentice cybersecurity program, potentially leading to a registered apprenticeship program.
Virginia Commonwealth University is partnering with Virginia Union University, a minority-serving institution, to train students to develop secure mobile application software.

This month, we funded six projects for our signature CyberArts Program. The arts and design research community will give cybersecurity-related issues, including artificial intelligence, privacy, scams, misinformation, and emotional surveillance, a fresh interpretation aimed at leading to a better understanding of how these areas affect our lives.

The projects are led by researchers from five Virginia universities and colleges – Blue Ridge Community College, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech.

The more than 350 researchers in the statewide CCI network are doing amazing work, guiding their disciplines forward. I am delighted to have our first cohort of Research Showcase publications, highlighting some of the CCI research that is advancing the field. These peer-reviewed papers benefited from CCI research funding. Privacy, Internet of Things, autonomous systems, cyber-physical systems, infrastructure security, and more are covered in this first cohort.

SRS founders Ismael Gomez Miguelez (left) and Paul Sutton (right) learn about the xG Testbed from Aloizio DaSilva (center), xG Testbed director, at the CCI headquarters in Arlington, Va.

CCI industry partner Software Radio Systems Ltd. (SRS) visited our Arlington headquarters to discuss future plans, including next steps for the CCI SRS Lab. SRS is a leader in Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) software. I’ve known SRS founders Paul Sutton (pictured right) and Ismael Gomez Miguelez (left) since their student and post-doc days at Trinity College Dublin. SRS has operations in Ireland, Spain, and Germany.

We built our xG Testbed to O-RAN standards. Using open-source software allows researchers to test ideas years before they could appear in commercial products. SRS’s approach aligns with ours. SRS has created open-source software that can be used both by forward-looking researchers and industry professionals who need it for today’s secure networks. I’m looking forward to expanding our relationship with SRS to include industry testing.

Find out what it takes to get a
security clearance

Our popular Security Clearance Preparedness monthly series gives you the ins and outs of the clearance process.

On Wednesday, June 28, from 3-4 p.m., CCI Research Director Eric Burger, who has extensive experience with security clearance requirements, will cover cybersecurity authorities, laws, and regulations.

On July 26, from noon to 1 p.m., Charles Clancy will discuss the work you’ll be able to do once you’re cleared. He’s the senior vice president, general manager, and chief futurist at MITRE Labs. Please join us.

Coastal Virginia Cyber Con held on Sept. 20-21: paper and poster submissions due July 15

We’re proud to be co-sponsoring COVA CCI Cyber Con, a cybersecurity education and research conference, held Sept. 20-21, at Old Dominion University. The conference is open to the CCI network and is focused on experiential learning. Proposals and student poster submissions are being accepted until July 15. Email covacci@odu.edu for more information.