As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Capitol Technology University hosted our first Cyber Saturday of the new academic year on October 5th, 2024. Cyber Saturdays have been a longstanding tradition at our university, highlighting the importance of teaching cyber skills to students to increase awareness and safety online, as well as cultivate creativity and innovation in young minds. Through fun, interactive demonstrations and captivating presentations that discuss the real-world applicability of cybersecurity, prospective students learn the ways in which technology can impact their lives and future careers.
Our October event welcomed 19 participants, including 16 prospective students and 3 parents, and we discussed this year's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month themes, including:
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Using Strong Passwords and a Password Manager
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Turning On Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
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Updating Your Software
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Recognizing and Reporting Phishing
Participants also engaged in several hands-on activities, such as:
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Lock picking as a form of hacking
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Wireless hacking
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A digital forensics exercise
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Capture the Flag mini cyber competition
We were fortunate to have two guest speakers: Professor of Practice in Uncrewed Systems and Astronautical & Space Engineering, Dr. Rick Hansen, who spoke about ethical hacking, and Director of Cyber Labs, Dr. Cliff Benedict, who explored cybersecurity career opportunities. We were also assisted by current Capitol Tech students and members of our noteworthy Signal-9 Cyber Battle team in our demonstrations, and attendees could speak to our students about their experience at Capitol Tech. The event was a success, with enthusiastic participation as well as many insightful questions from both students and parents.
We encourage you to register for our next Cyber Saturday event on February 8, 2025.