CISA declares winners of President’s Cup cybersecurity competition, with Artificially Intelligent team leading

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) hosted the final round of the fifth annual President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition last week and announced the winners of the three competitions. This year’s winning team, known as Artificially Intelligent, was composed of members of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force. Artificially Intelligent featured four members of last year’s winning teams, including one member who has been on every winning team since the President’s Cup competition began five years ago. 

The winner of Individuals Track A was U.S. Army Major Nolan Miles, and the winner of Individuals Track B was U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Michael Torres. SSG Torres also finished in second place in the Individuals Track A competition and is the first Individuals winner to repeat having won President’s Cup 3 Track A.

“This competition is an exciting way to highlight the talents of cybersecurity professionals throughout the U.S. government and military, and these competitors showcased the depth of talent we have in this important field,” Jen Easterly, CISA director said in a media statement. “Congratulations to all the participants and winners – your prowess and passion are pivotal in shaping the cybersecurity landscape and protecting our nation.”

The President’s Cup is a national competition designed to recognize the top federal cybersecurity talent. Three separate competitions take place during each President’s Cup; two Individual tracks -– Track A which focuses on defensive work roles and tasks from the NICE Framework, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, and Track B which focuses on offensive work roles and tasks, and a Teams competition comprised of defensive and offensive challenges. 

The first rounds of the competition began earlier this year in January.

The CISA leads and hosts the President’s Cup as part of its mission to expand the size and capabilities of the U.S. cyber workforce. Participants are tested in a range of challenges following the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, including cyber defense, cyber exploitation, forensics, and more. The NICE framework is the foundation for increasing the size and capability of the U.S. cyber workforce. It provides a common definition of cybersecurity, a comprehensive list of cybersecurity tasks, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform those tasks.

During the week, several leaders from CISA and the U.S. Army offered their perspectives and support for the competitors, recognizing the diverse talents and skills needed to participate, as well as the inspirational collaboration on display throughout the finals – CISA hosted 36 competitors for the Finals over the week at CISA’s facilities in the Washington, DC area. Competitors came from across the federal government including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, U.S. Army, U.S. Airforce, U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

The President’s Cup is open to the entire federal civilian workforce and members of the armed services. The fifth annual competition included more than 1,421 individuals and nearly 312 teams with diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

The competition is held in partnership with the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and the winners will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at the White House in appreciation of their accomplishments.

Anna Ribeiro

Industrial Cyber News Editor. Anna Ribeiro is a freelance journalist with over 14 years of experience in the areas of security, data storage, virtualization and IoT.