What is CCDC?

Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) is a cyber defense competition where teams of students protect vulnerable networks from an active assault by professional hackers. Typically, networks will comprise of a mixture of Windows and Linux computers running various services like Active Directory (AD), Microsoft Exchange, SSH, Wordpress, and more.

What is a "cyber defense competition," anyways?

Cyber defense competitions generally revolve around patching vulnerabilities in software + computers and detecting + evicting attackers. This is generally done in an asynchronous format (see Hivestorm and CyberPatriot,) where teams are given vulnerable entities to secure by themselves, or a synchronous format (see CCDC or National Cyber League,) where the vulnerable entities are being actively attacked.

How do I get started?

We recommend checking out Hivestorm and Cyberpatriot materials as a way to prepare for CCDC. Vulnerable VM images can be found in the Cyberpatriot discord under the #resources section; some of these come with skill ratings and/or walkthroughs, which we highly recommend paying attention to.

I don't have any experience. Can I still get involved?

Yes! We recommend following the preparation steps above and practicing on VMs with the "Easy" or "Medium" skill ratings. If you want to get more involved and learn more, talk to an officer for more information. All skill levels are welcome and encouraged!