COLUMBIA, Md., March 11, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building on its commitment to grow the pipeline of qualified cyber professionals in the United States, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is participating as a platinum sponsor at the 5th Annual Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense (CCDC) competition. The event is scheduled for today through Saturday in Columbia, Md.
Pitting students from two- and four-year colleges and universities against a "Red Team" of hackers trying to disrupt and compromise their networks, the competition is unique in that it focuses on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing network infrastructure. Student teams are scored based on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats; maintain availability of existing services (e.g., e-mail servers); respond to business requests (e.g., add user accounts); and balance security needs against business needs.
The winner of the Mid-Atlantic CCDC will advance to represent the region in the National CCDC, April 16-18, in San Antonio.
Students from the following five institutions will be competing for a chance to go to the national competition. They include Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, Community College of Baltimore County, Millersville University, Towson University, and University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). These schools were chosen from among 15 two- and four-year schools.
Cyber professionals from Northrop Grumman's Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC) in Annapolis Junction, Md., will be on-hand to participate in the games and make the experience as realistic as possible. The CSOC is a comprehensive cyber threat detection and response center that focuses on protecting Northrop Grumman and its customers' networks and data worldwide.
"As a leading integrator of cybersecurity solutions, Northrop Grumman is deeply committed to growing the pipeline of qualified cyber professionals and providing the expertise to spur students on to a solid career-path," said Mark Leary, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for Northrop Grumman Information Systems. "Several of our CSOC engineers will take part to demonstrate the real-world cyber challenges and scenarios these students will face in business. From a recruitment standpoint, this experience allows us to see potential candidates using their skills, exhibiting teamwork and leadership, and solving problems under stressful conditions."
The competition provides a chance for government and industry officials to observe the competition, discuss cyber security career choices with top students in the region, and become better informed regarding current trends in security and information assurance.
In addition to Northrop Grumman, sponsors include The Boeing Company, CSC, SAIC, and Tenable Network Security, with equipment and software provided by Solera Networks and Core Security.
CCDC is hosted by CyberWatch, the National Science Foundation, White Wolf Security, and the Community College of Baltimore County. For more information about the competition, go to www.MidAtlanticCCDC.org.
For more information about Northrop Grumman's capabilities in cyber security, go to www.northropgrumman.com/cybersecurity
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Note to editors
Event is open to the media on:
Thursday, March 11 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Networking reception
Friday, March 12 from 12:00 noon – 7:00 p.m. – Day 1 of competition
Saturday, March 13 from 9:45 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. - Day 2 of competition