University of Central Florida’s A Team with A Dream Is Crowned the Winner at the 2024 DOE CyberForce Competition®

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and the DOE Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) announced the winners of the tenth CyberForce Competition^® held November 9 in St. Charles, Illinois. At the end of the event, A Team with A Dream from the University of Central Florida was crowned the champion, defeating 90 teams from 71 unique universities and colleges across the United States.  

• First Place: University of Central Florida – A Team with A Dream 
• Second Place: Tennessee Technological University – CyberEagles 
• Third Place: University of Texas at San Antonio – University of Texas San Antonio  

During the all-day competition, each collegiate team’s mission was to defend a wind energy generation plant against simulated cyber attacks of unknown origin. Similar to real world systems, the defending teams were required to maintain awareness of cascading impacts downstream to infrastructure reliant on the wind generation. To successfully complete the mission, teams were required to ensure energy production levels were maintained. 

A Team with A Dream from the University of Central Florida successfully defended their virtual wind energy generation plant from cyber attacks. In addition to demonstrating technical know-how, they used critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork to achieve the highest score and be crowned champion at the 2024 CyberForce Competition.  

“I want to congratulate A Team with A Dream from the University of Central Florida on their success in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2024 CyberForce Competition^®,” said Puesh M. Kumar, Director of CESER. “This year’s competition focused on wind energy, where we increasingly see a need to integrate cybersecurity in innovative ways. These students showed their ability to work collaboratively and think outside the box to secure their infrastructure. I want to commend them for an outstanding performance and hope they consider careers in energy cybersecurity.” 

“The CyberForce Competition^® is still my favorite thing to watch and be a part of,” said Amanda Theel, Workforce Development Group Leader in Argonne’s Strategic Security Sciences Division. “You get to see the mixture of emotions from confusion, happiness, and irritation, to that lightbulb moment. We get the front row seat, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else to experience that firsthand.” 

The need for cybersecurity professionals will continue to grow as critical infrastructure in the United States increasingly relies on digital systems and continues its transition toward renewable energy. The experience students gained in this Competition helps them to hone their skills and better prepare for careers in the cybersecurity workforce, even as it continues to evolve. Through the CyberForce Competition and Program, DOE hopes to inspire a versatile generation of cybersecurity professionals who will contribute to a secure and resilient energy network nationwide.  

Beyond the annual competition, DOE’s CyberForce^® Program offers additional opportunities to help bolster the skills of interested collegiate students. These include: 

• Three virtual, individual-based Conquer the Hill® Series competitions 
• Quarterly informational webinars 
• Career development opportunities at virtual career fairs   

These initiatives reflect DOE’s investment in the future U.S. cybersecurity workforce. 

Other DOE offices that provide support to the CyberForce Competition are the Office of Electricity, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Grid Deployment Office, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Information Management, and the Office of Science.     

To learn more about the CyberForce Program, visit the CyberForce webpage at Department of Energy’s CyberForce^® Program.