DOE Hosts Inaugural Individual-Based Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition

The The Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response and the Argonne National Laboratory hosted the inaugural CyberForce Conquer the Hill – Command Edition competition on Saturday.

The competition ended with the University of Central Florida’s Rodrigo Santos winning the beginner level and Caleb Gindelberger from Baldwin Wallace University topping the advanced level.

The Command Edition competition is one of the three Conquer the Hill virtual, individual-based competitions designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop their cybersecurity skills before the annual team-based CyberForce Competition, Energy .gov reported.

Amanda Theel, director of the CyberForce Program at ANL, said the competition also allows students to learn how it is to work in operational technology and cybersecurity within the energy industry.

Cybersecurity has been an important focus for the DOE. In August 2022, it provided up to 15 research, development and demonstration projects with a $45 million investment to improve the cyber posture of the energy sector.

Aside from the Conquer the Hill competition, the department has also been partnering with educational institutions to hone cybersecurity skills. It tapped the University of Hawaii System in November 2023 to train energy professionals on how to best address incidents affecting operational technology.