{"id":17240,"date":"2025-03-21T10:40:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T14:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=17240"},"modified":"2025-03-21T10:40:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T14:40:44","slug":"wilmus-cyber-wildcats-practice-cybersecurity-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/21\/wilmus-cyber-wildcats-practice-cybersecurity-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"WilmU\u2019s Cyber Wildcats Practice Cybersecurity Skills\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column17240_f14f8c-e3 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>This isn\u2019t the Capture the Flag of your youth. The game\u2019s name is the same, but it takes place in cyberspace. Two teams face off in a live attack scenario \u2014 one tries to break into a computer network while the other defends it. People play all over the world, and at Wilmington University, they\u2019re the Cyber Wildcats.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCyber Wildcats is a cybersecurity club. We participate in security games together,\u201d says <strong>Matthew Ellis-Richmond<\/strong>, who will graduate this spring with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/computer-network-security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">B.S. in Cybersecurity<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a serious connection to the industry, and it is a worthwhile investment in yourself to get involved.\u201d Plus, \u201cit\u2019s fun.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning Cybersecurity\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2011, <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberwildcats.net\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cyber Wildcats<\/a> have gained hands-on experience battling cybersecurity threats in a controlled environment. Teammates write scripts, compile code, solve problems, install systems and software, and study ways to compromise those systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur students are practicing with real live scenarios that are up to date in today\u2019s cyber environment,\u201d says <strong>Darryl Santry<\/strong>, the club\u2019s advisor and WilmU\u2019s Cybersecurity program chair. \u201cIt gamifies cybersecurity and helps reach students where they\u2019re at to learn and practice cybersecurity skills, offensively and defensively.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s simply not enough to just check the boxes, take the classes, get the grades,\u201d says <strong>Eric Arnoth<\/strong>, an adjunct professor and the team\u2019s coach. \u201cYou\u2019ve actually got to get your hands dirty, play with things, break things. Why did it break? Fix it. Figure it out.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to technical knowledge, the club helps develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration and other soft skills.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe soft skills that I learned in Cyber Wildcats have actually helped me tremendously in my job,\u201d says WilmU graduate <strong>Tiffiny Rideout<\/strong>, an adjunct professor who enjoys working with the team. \u201cThey helped get me to where I am today, so I definitely feel the need to give back and pass that on to someone else. It\u2019s a great group.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cybersecurity Fundamentals&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Operating fully online, the Cyber Wildcats welcome all WilmU students. They compete against other colleges in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaecybergames.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NCAE Cyber Games<\/a>, organized by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, practice with <a href=\"http:\/\/prosversusjoes.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pros V Joes<\/a> and benefit from <a href=\"https:\/\/bsidesdelaware.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BSides<\/a> information security conferences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEmployers look for this kind of thing when they\u2019re hiring,\u201d says Arnoth, who calls the Cyber Wildcats \u201cabsolutely essential for anyone who\u2019s serious about cybersecurity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cParticipating in something like Cyber Wildcats gives you a connection to the industry and really gives you a leg up,\u201d Ellis-Richmond says. Cybersecurity is his third career path, and he appreciates the camaraderie. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice to have this community where it doesn\u2019t feel so intimidating to be making this big change.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09{margin-top:0em;}.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:0em;padding-right:0em;padding-bottom:0em;padding-left:0em;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}.wu-text-col,.wu-img-col {\tmin-height: 114px;}.wu-text-col &gt; div,.wu-img-col &gt; div {\tflex: 1;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id17240_2442f4-09 alignnone FULL wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle kb-theme-content-width\">\n<style>.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e figure.image-is-svg {-webkit-margin-after: 1em;  margin-block-end: 1em;}img[src$=\".svg\"] {  max-width: 220px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column17240_955ac1-3e kb-section-dir-horizontal wu-img-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image17240_df8cdc-5a:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image17240_df8cdc-5a.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-image17240_df8cdc-5a .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image17240_df8cdc-5a size-large image-is-svg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"230\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/wilmu-cta-logo-wu-1.svg\" alt=\"Wilmington University Logo\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-13075\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:#eeeeee;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}.kt-row-column-wrap &gt; .wp-block-kadence-column {align-self: stretch;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb &gt; div {  padding-block: 1em;}.kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb p:last-of-type {  -webkit-margin-after: 0;  margin-block-end: 0;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column17240_12d6e6-bb kb-section-dir-vertical wu-text-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"NoMargin\" style=\"font-size:1rem\"><em>Earn a Cybersecurity degree from a recognized leader. Wilmington University\u2019s <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/indext.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>College of Technology<\/em><\/a><em> offers undergraduate and graduate programs to meet your career goals. Explore the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/cybersecurity-associate.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>A.S. in Cybersecurity<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/computer-network-security.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>B.S. in Cybersecurity<\/em><\/a><em> and <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/cybersecurity-master.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>M.S. in Cybersecurity<\/em><\/a><em> programs.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This isn\u2019t the Capture the Flag of your youth. The game\u2019s name is the same, but it takes place in cyberspace. Two teams face off&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":17420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[899,99,896,291,900,897,898,14,15],"class_list":["post-17240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-b-s-in-cybersecurity","tag-college-of-technology","tag-cyber-wildcats","tag-cybersecurity","tag-cybersecurity-fundamentals","tag-cybersecurity-skills","tag-learning-cybersecurity","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmu"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2,"label":"ACADEMIC 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