Help FSU defend its Cyberween championship against 11 Florida universities

Florida State University is defending its title as Cybersecurity Champion as students, faculty and staff compete against 11 other Florida universities in Cyberween, an online competition designed to sharpen cybersecurity skills and promote online safety. 

The annual competition, which brings together 12 Florida universities, runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30. Participants can visit its.fsu.edu/cyberween to enter a virtual haunted house and test their ability to recognize and respond to common cyber threats. 

FSU claimed the championship last year with nearly 7,000 participants. This year, ITS hopes to reach 10,000 participants to help FSU retain its title. 

“Winning last year was a great accomplishment, but the bigger goal is helping our students, faculty and staff recognize cyber threats before they become victims of them,” said Jonathan Fozard, FSU’s vice president and chief information officer. “Cyberween gives us a fun and approachable way to build those skills across our university community. We had incredible participation last year, and this year we are challenging 10,000 Seminoles to join us.” 

The interactive game takes less than five minutes to complete and challenges players to navigate five cybersecurity scenarios. Participants learn to identify phishing scams, weak passwords, fraudulent login attempts, and other online threats while developing practical habits to protect their accounts and devices. 

The university with the highest participation among eligible students, faculty and staff will earn the title of Cybersecurity Champion. 

FSU participants also have a chance to win prizes. Students who complete the game can enter a drawing for one of two $500 scholarships, while faculty and staff can enter to win two tickets to the FSU vs. N.C. State football game Saturday, Nov. 21. 

To be counted in the competition and entered into the prize drawings, participants must sign in with their FSUID after completing the game. 

Cyberween is part of FSU’s observance of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held each October to help people recognize online threats and practice safer digital habits. 

In addition to the virtual competition, ITS will host a table on Landis Green from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays Oct. 19-30. Students can stop by to learnabout cybersecurity, play games and pick up free candy and giveaways. ITS also will have a presence at Market Wednesday. 

ITS will offer two cybersecurity training sessions: FSU Incident Response Training at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and SPEAR: Seminole Prepared, Emergency and Response Training at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Both sessions will be available online. 

Students, faculty and staff can participate in Cyberween through Oct. 30 at its.fsu.edu/cyberween. For additional cybersecurity resources and information about upcoming training sessions, visit its.fsu.edu/cybersecurity.