St. John’s Empowers Future Cyber Defenders at Competition

In an effort to promote cybersecurity literacy, The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies at St. John’s University hosted its third annual Capture the Flag (CTF) coding competition on Saturday, March 15, for high school students on the Queens, NY, campus. 

The competition is designed to help students enhance their data security skills and ability to prevent security breaches. “This engagement opportunity helps high school students strengthen their knowledge and passion for cybersecurity, while also introducing them to St. John’s as a place to further their education,” said Joan E. DeBello, Ph.D., Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Chair, Division of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Science. 

More than 30 students from three New York high schools participated in a series of cybersecurity exercises, testing their knowledge of data protection and internet privacy. The Sanford family, for whom the University’s Sanford Family Cyber Security Lab is named, sponsored the competition. Their mission is to empower students through technology and strengthen the cybersecurity community on campus.

Linda S. Sanford ’74Ed, ’98HON, St. John’s Board of Trustees Emerita, is a pioneer in the technology industry. As the former Senior Vice President of Enterprise Transformation at IBM, she was one of the company’s highest-ranking female executives. Ms. Sanford has been inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Engineering, and was named one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Business” by Fortune.

Participants engaged in a digital version of the popular game Capture the Flag, available through the Hack The Box platform. Teams searched for hidden text strings (“flags”) in various cybersecurity, information technology, networking, and digital forensics coding tasks.

“These hands-on CTF exercises provide foundational training for future cybersecurity professionals, helping students sharpen their strategic-thinking skills and learn how to secure data against breaches,” explained Dr. DeBello. “Having high school students collaborate with current St. John’s student mentors, while hearing from distinguished faculty and leadership, encourages young learners to explore majors and careers in cybersecurity and technology. We look forward to creating more events like this in the future.”

The winners of first place and second place were from Mineola High School. Third place was awarded to a team from Thomas Edison High School.

“One of our long-term goals is to engage the local community and highlight the importance of cybersecurity,” said Erald Troja, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Science, and Director, Cybersecurity Center of Academic Excellence. “This event successfully brought that vision to life, allowing students to tackle challenges in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and open-source intelligence in a fun and competitive environment. Through events like the Capture the Flag competition, St. John’s University continues to play a crucial role in preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”