University of San Diego to Host California’s Only Advanced GenCyber Camp

They are still in high school but a group of students from around the country will explore some of the most sophisticated elements of cybersecurity at California’s only Advanced GenCyber Rising Stars Camp at the University of San Diego.

Students will take on roles as security engineer, cyber investigator, penetration tester and cyber analyst at the camp funded by the National Security Agency that runs from Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4.

 “Nearly every day, our nation faces cyber attacks on our security, government, industry and nonprofit institutions,” said Chell Roberts, Dean of the USD Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. “We are honored and excited to host this exclusive advanced camp that will help develop a pipeline of talented, young professionals to meet these challenges.”

 “Unlike typical Cyber Boot Camps where the entire focus is on a monolithic, Capture the Flag event to solve puzzles and earn points, the GenCyber Advanced Boot Camp gives students a crash course in advanced tools for exploiting vulnerabilities in target systems and performing hands-on malware analysis,” said Ash Mozano, Professor at the USD Center for Cyber Security Engineering and Technology.  “The camp culminates with a gamified hacking experience where students will really put their newly acquired knowledge and tools to the test.”

 As they explore password cracking, incident management and other advanced topics, students will be using Project Ares that provides cybersecurity teams the opportunity to practice skills and hone tactics via a next-generation online gaming platform developed by Boulder, Colorado-based Circadence, a recognized leader in the federal cybersecurity community.

 The camp also includes formal instruction from USD faculty, team projects to solve cybersecurity problems, field trips to cybersecurity organizations in San Diego and speakers including Erik La Cam, San Diego Special Agent Secret Service Computer Forensics, and Laura Lee, Executive Vice President of Cyber Training & Assessments at Circadence.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.