CWDHS at CyberTitan national finals

WATERLOO – After surviving state rounds in December, Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) competed in the finals at the University of Waterloo on May 8 against 13 teams from across Canada.

The CyberTitan National Competition is  known to be Canada’s largest cyber defence competition, equipping students with cybersecurity skills and knowledge.

Based on real-world scenarios, the challenge emulates cybersecurity threats Canadian businesses face each year.

This year’s situation was modelled after a regional airport that had its systems attacked.

CWDHS’s Team Space Beans’ role was to defend a network against a malicious attack, stated team coach Eric Greig.

“I’m biased but I think my folks think really well on the fly and can take challenges as they come to them,” said Greig.

The team prepared for several months by using different simulations and scenarios.

With five hours straight of competition, coach Greig described the event as a “mental marathon.”

“I’ve been doing this for four years, it’s the first time I’ve actually made nationals,” said team member Rhys Grover.

With the increasing influence of technology, more people fall for scams, losing money and sensitive information being compromised, explained Grover.

“There are a lot of people who do put emphasis on cybersecurity and make sure their accounts are secure, then there are people who use the same password for everything,” he said.

The top three teams all get prizes, including laptops and a mention of the finals on their student records.

Space Beans came in 12th place out of the 13 teams that made it to the finals.

Olympians Poseidon, based in Edmonton, came in first place.