Students offer cyber insights to high schoolers

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Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
Over 80 students from across the state participated in a National Security “Cipher Challenge” during which each team practiced encryption and decryption skills by identifying and applying various types of ciphers. Zach Furbush, a junior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in international affairs, and cadet Jordan Barrocas, a senior from Atlanta, Georgia, pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies with an intelligence concentration, partnered with Dr. Lindsay Linsky, professor of middle, secondary and P12 education, to lead this activity.
“This was an excellent way to interact with professional and motivated high schoolers. It was a great way for them to meet other like-minded people and have experience of pursuing things that they are passionate about, skills that will help them excel in higher education or the professional workforce,” Barrocas said.
Across the three days, 49 students completed the following cybersecurity challenges co-led by Dagen Shehorn and Aubrey Perry, from Stockbridge, Georgia. Both are juniors pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.

Disinformation Challenge: Teams analyzed suspicious social media posts, images, news snippets, and videos.
Cybersecurity lockbox: Students participated in several mini-challenges, each leading to the next. The mini-challenges tested their knowledge of cybersecurity principles and methodologies.
Insider threat investigation: Teams investigated a leak of confidential data, working to determine the actor behind the leak by examining data logs, login reports and other digital evidence.

Shehorn, from Evans, Georgia, said she appreciated the opportunity to assume a leadership role.
“It was great to give back and watch them get super excited about cybersecurity,” she said. “It was exciting to help them find their path. It just really rewarding because I remember being in their shoes.”
Shehorn, who was part of the team that won the Department of War Chief Information Officers Cyber Workforce Competition later in the spring, also took the opportunity to promote UNG. “UNG is the best place for cyber, in my opinion. I’m a little biased, but we do have a fantastic program. There are so many more hands-on opportunities, and the best way to learn cyber is hands-on,” Shehorn said. “The students in leadership of CyberHawks, UNG’s cyber club, teach and encourage all incoming students. We’re all passionate about it. It’s one of the greatest things that UNG has in our cyber program.”Initially, as a middle school student Shehorn believed her future was in forensic science. She picked up information about a school cyber program, read it and was convinced cyber was her future.
“I owe finding my passion to my brother,” Shehorn said. “I’m minoring in neuroscience, so I still get to live out my little middle school dream a little bit. But I owe finding cyber to my brother.”
Twenty-nine students participated in JROTC events at the expo.
Johannes Oosthuizen, assistant professor of criminal justice, created Operation Trident Shield, a scenario that was a large-scale, multi-team, escape-room style national security crisis simulation that lasted for three hours and involved approximately 100 students in a single large conference room, for the culminating simulation.
Students came to the exercise divided into three primary groups — Cybersecurity Task Force, JROTC Joint Operations Group, and National Security & Intelligence Cell —each focused sub-teams to tackle specific aspects of the crisis.
“JP (Oosthuizen) deserves all the credit for the simulation,” Linsky said. “Using his expertise in national security, he generated 72 artifacts for the three student groups to experience a fast-paced, real-world exercise that forced students to adapt and make decisions quickly.”