{"id":30448,"date":"2023-10-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=30448"},"modified":"2023-10-08T06:42:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T06:42:08","slug":"guard-team-awarded-3rd-consecutive-services-cup-cyber-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=30448","title":{"rendered":"Guard Team Awarded 3rd Consecutive Services Cup Cyber Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, meets with the National Guard cyber team that won the 2022 SANS NetWars Department of Defense Services Cup cybersecurity competition at the Pentagon Sept. 22, 2023. Teams from all service branches took part in the two-day competition, with the Guard team taking top honors for the third consecutive year. (Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely)
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ARLINGTON, Va. – A National Guard team received the 2022 SANS NetWars Department of Defense Services Cup from Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, marking the third consecutive year the Guard team has won the cybersecurity competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the third year in a row, the Guard beat teams from other branches in this cyber problem-solving competition,\u201d said Hokanson in a Sept. 22 Pentagon ceremony. \u201cThese Soldiers and Airmen embody the best of the Guard: experts in their civilian jobs who use their skills to serve their states and nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two-day competition, first held in 2016, features a \u201ccyber range\u201d network where competing five-person teams are scored on their response to a variety of complex cyber incidents and attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, the scenario undergoes variation with a definitive objective of comprehensively analyzing a cyber incident,\u201d said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mike Gibbs, a cybersecurity analyst with the North Carolina Army National Guard and the team\u2019s executive officer. \u201cThe complexity of the scenario is incrementally structured, ensuring that participants cannot skip specific segments and still achieve competition completion. So, this [requires] knowledge in all areas that are presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibbs\u2019 team\u2019s experiences helped refine its approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often start strong because our past victories have honed our strategy,\u201d he said, adding that each member brings different skill sets that allow the team to \u201ctruly shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows for effective collaboration,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know whom to consult when a challenge or discrepancy arises. Recognizing that [individually] we don\u2019t have all the answers, but knowing exactly who to turn to and which resources to consult ensures we progress swiftly.\u201d<\/p>\n

This team included Gibbs, team captain Tech. Sgt. Aaron Rosenmund with the Delaware Air National Guard, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Ravis with the Ohio Army National Guard, Tech. Sgt. Brandon DeVault with the Florida Air National Guard and Spc. Nick McKinney with the California Army National Guard.<\/p>\n

Though team members come from throughout the country and represent both branches of the National Guard, they all worked or trained together previously.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past three years, while some team members were newcomers to the competition, they were not strangers to the group,\u201d said Gibbs, adding that the Guard\u2019s annual Cyber Shield training exercise also builds team skills, cohesion and experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lucky that most of our cyber units gather in the Guard for Cyber Shield,\u201d said Gibbs. \u201cOur team and other attending units discussed recent cybersecurity incidents during this event and its planning stages. We break down how these incidents happen, ways to defend against them, and even how to recreate them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s allowed team members to stay current on cyber threats and tactics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gained extensive expertise by continually updating our knowledge and delving deep into specific cyberattacks, especially those involving ransomware,\u201d he said. \u201cThis knowledge equips us well for the diverse challenges the competition presents.\u201d<\/p>\n

The competition also helps to foster that cohesion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile our primary aim at the competition is to win, it also offers a beautiful opportunity for bonding and spending quality time together,\u201d he said. \u201cThis established camaraderie enables us to operate efficiently, understand each other\u2019s strengths, and quickly adjust as the competition demands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participating in the competition and others like it builds additional cyber skills and readiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey expose competitors to recent advancements or uncommon aspects in their field that they may not encounter in their daily roles,\u201d said Gibbs. \u201cThis exposure not only kindles interest in various areas but also enhances understanding, leading to the discovery of new approaches in areas previously believed to be thoroughly understood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining high cyber readiness is critical as equipment is modernized and systems are developed for the future force.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs technology and automation evolve daily, they introduce new risks and challenges,\u201d said Gibbs.<\/p>\n

Gibbs and his team are preparing for the December 2023 Services Cup competition in Washington, much like they did last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe dedicated several days to preparation before the competition,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cThis preparation included analyzing recent cyber events, examining past competitions, and strategizing for possible scenarios. Additionally, we refreshed our knowledge to account for any skills that evolved over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibbs expects this year\u2019s competition to be as challenging as previous years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year it\u2019s a close score, at times a one- to two-question difference [between team rankings],\u201c he said. \u201cSo every year, we are competing to the very last second.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more National Guard news<\/a><\/p>\n

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Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, meets with the National Guard cyber team that won the 2022 SANS NetWars Department of Defense Services Cup cybersecurity competition at the Pentagon Sept. 22, 2023. Teams from all service branches took part in the two-day competition, with the Guard team taking top honors for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30450,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30448"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30451,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30448\/revisions\/30451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}