We might not always get the chance to play against most Florida schools during the regular football season, but the schools will kick off on the virtual gridiron once again next week for the annual Cyber Bowl. 

It is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and FSU Information Technology Services is once again teaming up with 10 other Florida universities to take cybersecurity to the virtual field to encourage online safety. 

“This year’s Cyber Bowl promises to be incredibly exciting! One of our key goals is to raise awareness about the risks people face in today’s digital landscape,”- Dr. Bill Hunkapiller, FSU chief information security officer

“As the cybersecurity industry bolsters its defenses with advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, many bad actors are turning to social engineering tactics. Users should be extra vigilant about the authenticity of communications, including links, text messages and phone calls,” Bill Hunkapiller said.

The Cyber Bowl is an online game designed to test students’ and employees’ defense against cyberthreats. Players take the virtual field and tackle five challenging questions—ranging from phishing blindsides to intercepted credit cards—to find out if they can help their school bring home the cybersecurity championship.  

This year, the Cyber Bowl runs October 7-18. At the end of the competition, the school with the highest amount of participation from current students and employees will take the title of Cybersecurity Champion. Anyone is welcome to play, but current FSU students, faculty and staff have a chance to score big. Current FSU students and employees who play are entered into a grand prize drawing to win one of two $500 FSU tuition scholarships or a pair of tickets to the University of North Carolina vs. Florida State football game at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 2. 

“Every year, we see cyberthreats continue to grow, but we also see the knowledge of the FSU community grow. Events like the Cyber Bowl are meant to continue to grow that interest in cybersecurity,” said Alexa Lowry, ITS marketing coordinator. “This year we hope to get even more of the FSU community involved in cybersecurity and help FSU come out on top.” 

In addition to the Cyber Bowl, ITS will be hosting a number of training courses throughout the month of October. These trainings include: 

In addition to the Cyber Bowl, ITS will be hosting a number of training courses throughout the month of October. These trainings include: 

October 16 | FSU Incident Response Plan  
October 24 | AI and Deep Fakes Social Engineering with Microsoft   
October 30 | Seminole Secure Alphabet Soup with FSU Emergency Management 

Find out more about these trainings on the FSU Events Calendar.Find out more about the Cyber Bowl at its.fsu.edu/cybersecurity. 

About National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 

Held every October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. For more information, visit cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month.