We told you... Season IV is doing BIG things!
ANNOUNCING THE
US Women's Cyber Team
Empowering women to showcase their talents, represent the United States on the world stage, and be role models for girls who dream big.
“The creation of the US Women's Cyber Team is a step forward in addressing gender disparity within the cybersecurity industry. This team enables us to promote diversity through role models and also recognize the invaluable contributions that women make to the field,” shares Jessica Gulick, US Cyber Team Commissioner.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
We are putting together a team of highly skilled women who are passionate about increasing the number of women in cybersecurity. These few good women will compete and also serve as important ambassadors, reaching generations of women to come with inspiration, mentorship, and guidance.
The selected 2024 US Women's Cyber Team will participate in global cyber competitions, focusing on career-oriented cyber games such as attack and defense formats.
Women interested in competing are encouraged to participate in the upcoming Season IV, US Cyber Open. From this competitor pool, a select group of individuals will be invited for interviews where they will have the opportunity to showcase their expertise in various cybersecurity domains, including:
Workforce skills, such as teamwork, leadership, communication, and more
Technical skills, such as attack and defense, vulnerability management, patch management, forensics, cloud, and web
Plus demonstrate their ability and willingness to support outreach and mentorship opportunities globally.
Eligible athletes must be US citizens who identify as female and fall within the 18–28 age bracket.
Start Your Path to the Kunoichi Cybersecurity Games
Apply for your spot on the inaugural US Women's Cyber Team by following this process: (boxes flip)
Register in US Cyber Open
Deadline: Friday, June 7, 2024
Test your knowledge/skills, rack up points, and beat your opponents to the top of the leaderboard.
- Participation in the Competitive Capture The Flag (CTF) event is mandatory for consideration in the selection process for the US Women's Cyber Team.
- This is an INDIVIDUAL competition (no teams).
Play in US Cyber Open
June 3 - 9, 2024
Show off your skills in the Season IV, US Cyber Open Competitive CTF.
Competitive CTF Challenge Categories include:- Cryptography
- Forensics
- PWN
- Reverse Engineering
- Web,
- Miscellaneous (Red v. Blue).
Invitation to Formally Apply
Week of June 10, 2024
Watch for an email the week of June 10th inviting you to formally apply for the US Women's Cyber Team.
Prepare for Interview
June 17 - 28, 2024
Prepare for a virtual interview with some of our coaches and mentors.
Virtual interview window: June 17 - 28, 2024.
NOTE: Women chosen for the inaugural US Women's Cyber Team will be informed of their selection no later than July 31, 2024.
If selected, athletes must ensure they have a valid passport for travel to Tokyo, Japan in November 2024 to represent the red, white, and blue in competition on the world stage.
Preparing for the Kunoichi Cybersecurity Games (Special Exhibition Game)
Gender disparity in cybersecurity is a global issue that we, collectively, are turning into an opportunity. In collaboration with teams from Japan and the UK, we will host a special women’s cyber games exhibition, Kunoichi Cyber Games, at the upcoming 2024 Code Blue Conference, November 14–15 in Tokyo. The US Women's Cyber Team will proudly represent the USA at the Kunoichi Cyber Games taking place during the conference. Female athletes will not just compete but also network with their international peers. While there, they will interact with attendees to help communicate the value of cybersecurity games in learning and sharpening skills, as well as the importance of cybersecurity careers. More information about the games will be released closer to the event.
The US Women's Cyber Team will begin virtual practice in August and continue until the games in November. The program will be an extension of the US Cyber Games. A head coach and assistant head coach will lead training and will pull from the US Cyber Games coaches and mentors as needed.
Many other countries also have all-women cyber teams. We will actively seek opportunities to cross-train and scrimmage with these teams.
National Cyber Strategy Alignment
The US Cyber Games program aligns with the National Cybersecurity strategy focusing on workforce and international cooperation, as well as the NICE Strategic Plan objective to increase understanding of multiple learning pathways that lead to cybersecurity careers.
The US Cyber Games program is supported by NICE, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US Department of Commerce, under financial assistance award #70NANB22H102.
