SEMO cybersecurity students rank top 10 globally in MITRE's eCTF competition

Through the seventh week of a 14-week embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF) competition, Southeast Missouri State University’s capstone cybersecurity class is ranked in the top 10 globally.

According to a news release from SEMO, the competition is organized by cybersecurity powerhouse MITRE and includes teams from 116 institutions worldwide.

An eCTF competition requires its teams to complete “hidden security tasks” and “protect their own solutions while attacking those of their competitors.” Each institution is tasked with developing and testing cybersecurity solutions related to Internet of Things (IoT) devices — which include smart home technology and industrial automation — and aligns with associate professor of Computer Science George Li’s research in IoT.

“Students approached me about competing, and I believed they could win,” Li said in the release. “Their preparation over the winter and hands-on experience with IoT devices has been instrumental in their success.”

SEMO’s team is made up of 20 students and is led by graduate students Sartaj Chowdhury and Uzair Hussain, who are the team captains.

“We are learning teamwork, team management, hardware, software, attack, defense, and solving real-world problems,” Chowdhury said. “It’s the best of both worlds. We’re learning the technical skills required in embedded systems security, along with soft skills that we’ll need no matter where we work.”

While winning is the ultimate goal, SEMO’s team is already celebrating its success.

“This is so great for students,” Hussain said. “We're aiming to win this competition, but even if we don’t end up winning, we’ll all be able to add a large-scale industry project to our resumes.”