IST students win top spots at social engineering competition

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two teams from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) were among the winners of the 2024 Social Engineering Competition. The event, held April 19–21, was hosted by the Cybersecurity in Application, Research and Education (CARE) Lab at Temple University.

The winning team members represented the Competitive Cyber Security Organization (CCSO), a student group in the College of IST. Liam Geyer, an integrated undergraduate-graduate student majoring in cybersecurity analytics and operations, is the president of CCSO.

“This competition provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about social engineering and the constantly changing landscape of common scams,” he said. “I'm extremely proud of our team's performance and ability to both conduct research and meaningfully engage with our client.”

Social engineering is any act that uses persuasion strategies to influence individuals to take an action that may or may not be in their best interests, according to the competition website. It is often used to conduct reconnaissance, which is the first stage of a cyberattack. The Social Engineering Competition emphasizes the relevance of the human-socio-psychological aspects of cyberattacks and cybersecurity, given that the human factor is increasingly being exploited by cybercriminals.

Geyer and fellow members of CCSO’s Team A — Jenna Fox, Brendan McShane and Jonathan Skeete — took first place in the undergraduate track of the competition. Their task was to meet with a client and help her through a potential employment scam.

“As part of the fraud-fighting team, we were tasked with helping our client through the hiring process and delivering comprehensive reports regarding the legitimacy of the job offer,” Geyer said. “We ended the three-day competition with a final brief to our client that outlined the evidence we had collection along with our recommendations for how she should handle the situation.”

IST students Aidan Ethier, Daniel Feliciano, Cy Fisher and Maguire Younes were the members of CCSO’s Team B. They tackled the same challenge and placed third.

“Participating in the CARE Labs challenge for the first time was a unique experience for our team,” said Maguire Younes, a rising second-year student majoring in cybersecurity analytics and operations. “I am immensely proud of our team's adept use of social engineering, effective communication and skillful prioritization throughout the competition. Securing third place and a cash prize was a testament to our hard work and collaboration!”

In March, a CCSO team took second place at the regional finals of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. In February, Geyer placed second at the Deloitte Foundation Cyber Threat Competition at Deloitte University.

Nick Giacobe, associate teaching professor and undergraduate coordinator of the cybersecurity analytics and operations program, is the adviser of CCSO.

“I am so excited that our students keep doing great things,” he said. “Congratulations to them all.”