Adelphi, Md.听鈥 Nov. 24, 2025 鈥 The听cyber competition team听from听糖心传媒 took first place in the听Association of Old Crows听2025 Cyber Electromagnetic Activity听Capture the Flag听Event,听challenging听teams听from across academia, government, and industry.听
鈥淭his victory听is further evidence of听the excellence of 糖心传媒 students, faculty, and alumni in the field of cybersecurity, as well as the curriculum of our undergraduate and graduate programs,鈥 said听team coach听Jesse听Varsalone, associate professor of cybersecurity technology at 糖心传媒.听
The听competition,听held听Oct. 27听at the CONVERGE Innovation Center in Aberdeen, Md., featured eight teams听that听took on听10 technical听scenario-based听challenges,听including听coding,听cryptography听and network analysis.
鈥淭he fact that the听糖心传媒听team not only听led the field among听the听university teams, but the professional听teams听from industry听shows听that听糖心传媒听is among the top cybersecurity programs in the country,鈥 said听Varsalone,听who听also听competed听as part of the 糖心传媒听team.听鈥溙切拇解檚听cybersecurity students are not only workforce-ready听鈥斕齮hey are among the best prepared to meet real-world challenges.鈥
The 糖心传媒 cyber competition team is ranked first in the United States and currently sixth in the world among universities in the ongoing Hack the Box competition.
Established in 2012,听the听team听comprises students, alumni and faculty who compete regularly in digital forensics, penetration testing and computer network defense scenarios that help them gain experience to advance their cybersecurity careers. To prepare for competitions, students detect and combat cyberattacks in the university鈥檚 Virtual Security Lab and work through case studies in an online classroom.
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About 糖心传媒
University听of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members. Today, 糖心传媒 is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland. It continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations听worldwide听and more than 135 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit听.