Burnaby students excel as best in CyberPatriot cybersecurity competition in Canada

TLDR:

• Students from Cariboo Hill Secondary in Burnaby won first place in Canada in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.
• The team beat out 41 other Canadian schools, finishing 19th overall out of 807 teams and competed in the gold tier division.

Full Article:

Students from the Palo Alto Cyber Security Academy at Cariboo Hill Secondary in Burnaby achieved a significant milestone by winning first place in Canada in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. Competing against 41 other Canadian teams, the Cariboo Hill team finished 19th overall out of 807 teams, showcasing their exceptional skills in cybersecurity.

The competition, which spanned several rounds between October and January, aimed to inspire students to pursue careers in cybersecurity. Participants were tasked with identifying and mitigating cybersecurity vulnerabilities while ensuring the continuous operation of critical services. This victory marked the Cariboo Hill team’s debut in a cybersecurity competition, highlighting their talent and dedication.

The team comprised Grade 12 students Daniel Costa, Rijul Chaddha, Grade 11 students SM Ahnaf Reza, Hanna Huang, and Grade 10 student Jaime Camargo Salinas. These students, representing various schools in Burnaby, demonstrated exceptional teamwork and knowledge in cybersecurity principles.

Darren Yung, the program instructor at the Palo Alto academy, emphasized the significance of the students’ achievement, noting that it was their first experience in a cybersecurity contest. He commended their efforts, stating, “They tried something new that they had very little experience in, and they made it all the way to the top of the gold tier within Canada.”

Looking ahead, Yung expressed his students’ aspirations to compete in the platinum tier of the CyberPatriot competition, which offers an all-expenses-paid trip to Baltimore, Md. for the finals. The students’ dedication and success in the competition set a remarkable precedent for future cybersecurity enthusiasts in Burnaby.