University of Alabama student triumphs in DOE CyberForce Competition

In a test of skill and ingenuity, Hunter Wittenborn from the University of Alabama at Huntsville has emerged as the champion of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2024 CyberForce Conquer the Hill — Reign Edition Competition.

 The event, held by DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and Argonne National Laboratory, gathered top cybersecurity students to solve challenges in a video game-style escape room.

The Reign Edition competition is part of the DOE’s CyberForce Programme, designed to develop future cyber defenders for the energy sector. The programme features hands-on individual and team challenges. 

This year, 149 students from 77 universities and colleges entered a virtual escape room where they guided their character, DUDE, through five levels of technical tasks. These levels tested cybersecurity, computer science, mathematics, and critical thinking skills. Wittenborn completed all levels in the fastest time, securing the title of Reign champion.

“I am excited to see another successful Conquer the Hill Reign competition and the ingenuity and hard work of this year’s competitors,” said Puesh M. Kumar, Director of CESER. “Competitions like Reign enhance skills and drive interest in joining the nation’s rising cyber energy workforce. Congratulations to the winner, Hunter Wittenborn from the University of Alabama at Huntsville!”

Building Skills for the Future

The competition tested not only students' abilities but also was designed to build their confidence in cybersecurity. 

The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is rising. From January 2023 to January 2024, there were only 82 workers available for every 100 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S., according to 2023 CyberSeek data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Beyond the Reign competition, the CyberForce Programme includes the team-based CyberForce Competition, webinars, virtual career fairs, and an online workforce portal. 

Amanda Theel, National Laboratory Lead of the CyberForce Programme and group leader of Workforce Development in Argonne’s Strategic Security Sciences division, emphasised the educational benefits: 

“Reign provides a unique and fun educational opportunity for students to absorb complex topics in a relatable way. Ideally, these students can take what they learned in a competition and use that experience to build confidence within this field.”