Girls Go CyberStart competition will return to Indiana for third year – pharostribune.com

INDIANAPOLIS A national competition designed to encourage girls to pursue cyber-based learning and career opportunities is coming back to Indiana.

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Monday that the Girls Go CyberStart competition will take place in Indiana for the third year on Jan. 13. The competition, hosted by the SANS Insitute, centers on a fun and thought-provoking game to inspire young women to test their aptitude in cyber skills. Female students in grades 9-12 can participate for free, either as individuals or as part of a school-based team.

Indiana was one of 27 states to participate in last years competition. More than 10,300 girls competed, including more than 800 Indiana high school students. Four teams from Indiana scored among the top 50 high schools nationally.

Cyber jobs in the United States have increased by 75% since 2010, and one million of those jobs are unfilled nationwide. Indiana has an estimated 2,300 jobs unfilled, according to the Cyberseek jobs tool.

Training young Hoosiers in cybersecurity and tech-based skills is essential to improving Indianas cyber-resiliency for decades to come, Holcomb said in a statement. Indiana is a proven leader in cybersecurity, and our state is committed to providing the skills and opportunities Hoosiers need to pursue fulfilling careers in this high-demand field.

This year, 38 states will participate in the competition. Students will take on the roles of agents in the Cyber Protection Agency, where they will develop forensic and analytical skills and deploy them to sleuth through challenges and tackle various online cybercriminal gangs.

As they work their way through the game, players will be challenged to solve puzzles and be introduced to cybersecurity disciplines, including forensics, open-source intelligence, cryptography and web application security.

Registration for the competition is now open, and student practice programs are available.

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Girls Go CyberStart competition will return to Indiana for third year - pharostribune.com