Capture the Flag

Hacking

Hacking is a scary word that most people hope they never have to hear used in a conversation about them or their personal information. As we move to a more digital world we are constantly faced with cyber security issues to keep our digital information private. As the world increases the amount of information available digitally, the world also needs more people to keep that information secure.

This is why the Ohio National Guard has created the Ohio Cyber Collaboration Committee (OC3). This group has been tasked with increasing the number of people qualified to work in the field of cyber security. They are starting by creating a place for high school students to learn how. Inside the OC3 Cyber Range, students have a chance to play "Capture the Flag" in a virtual world. The goal is for kids to learn how to hack into a virtual system so that they can eventually become people who will defend against similar types of attacks in the real world. The hope is that cyber security clubs will be created in schools across the state in the near future.

Westerville North High School hosted a Capture the Flag event this week. The event brought cyber security experts from the military and private sector in to help students from around central Ohio hone their skills. The event took place in "The Shop" where a leader board tracked how effective the kids were "hacking" into different systems.

In addition to cyber security experts, the event was also attended by members of the Westerville City Schools District Office and members of the Ohio Department of Education (including the State Superintendent). This event created quite the media frenzy!

Defense Visual Individual Distribution Service | Ohio National Guard News | 

WOSU | The Columbus Dispatch

(By the way, a Westerville kid ended up winning. #JustSayin')