With October being National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, FSU ITS took to the cyberfield once again for this year's Cyber Bowl! The Cyber Bowl is an online, five question game quiz to engage and prepare students and faculty for potential cyberthreats.   

Between October 9 and 20, players took the (virtual) field for the online game that pitted 10 Florida universities against each other in a gridiron battle to claim the title of Cybersecurity Champion. Competition was tough this year as we competed in the ultimate showdown to see which school could claim the title for the state of Florida. 

FSU had the second-highest participation level at 8.99%, behind New College of Florida. In sheer numbers, FSU came in second with 4,009 total players, right behind the University of Florida with 4,107 participants. In total, there were 13,862 entries across all 10 participating schools. 

In addition to the competition with the other universities, ITS also gave away two pairs of tickets to the Miami vs. FSU football game and a signed Mike Norvell football or one of two $500 student scholarships to four randomly selected participants. Students also got to go for the “two-point conversion” by signing our Cyber Pledge to receive an extra entry. Congratulations to our winners:, Sabrina Cruz, Robert Shaun (football tickets), Corrine Karlan and Kai Niedermaier ($500 scholarship.) 

ITS also hosted online trainings, tabled at various campus events and participated in the FSU Homecoming parade with a special cybersecurity-themed float. Over 200 people attended one of the five ITS-hosted cybersecurity training sessions during the month, and another 1595 individuals signed the FSU Cyber Pledge and committed to following basic cybersecurity best practices.  

Ultimately, the 2023 Cyber Bowl competition was one of the most successful yet, with other national universities reaching out for advice on how to emulate a similar multi-school competition in their states. 

Stay updated on all things IT and cyber security at ITS FSU!