The clock is ticking.
The adversary is at work.
And high school kids from all over California are spending part of their summer at a competition to try and stop a series of mock cyber attacks-including ransomware.
"Working collaboratively as a digital forensics investigative team, the students must collect and analyze a combination of digital and physical evidence in order to stop a healthcare themed cyber plot."
Watch this video and you'll see how powerful this way of doing things can be to get students excited about cybersecurity.
KCBX radio covered the competition happening in central California:
"More than 100 high school students from around the state took part in a two-day digital forensics challenge at San Luis Obispo's California Polytechnic State University this week. The California Cyber Innovation Challenge was designed to replicate threats that cybersecurity professionals face."
The state's chief of cybersecurity and resiliency, Eileen Sánchez, led the effort. The goal is to get more kids studying cybersecurity which will protect California companies in the future.
“These are the businesses that keep our economy going. They’re critical, and so are the skills needed to fill about 35,000 open jobs in cybersecurity across California.”
Is you region or state doing something like this? If so, let us know.
Perhaps it will inspire others into action and make all of us more secure in the future.