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UF student Infosec team wins regional cybersecurity competition

UF student Infosec team wins regional cybersecurity competition 

November 7, 2025

The University of Florida Student Infosec Team (UFSIT) has claimed first place in the Regional Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition, showcasing elite cybersecurity skills.  Teams were tasked as consultants for a fictitious cruise ship company, “All Ports Tours.” Over eight hours, the team from UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering assessed the company’s network, identified vulnerabilities […]

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Students on computers

Students compete in Department of Navy Cybersecurity Challenge

March 11, 2025

A team of computer science students participated in the Cyber Resiliency and Measurement Challenge (CRAM) by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD). The goal of the challenge was to develop algorithms to measure a system’s cyber defensive capabilities against a full spectrum of threats and to calculate the probability of failure against various […]

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2022 CTF Competition

UF Information Security Team Wins Computer Security Competition

November 29, 2022

A group of students representing the UF Student InfoSec Team (UF-SIT) Kernel Sanders team recently won a Capture the Flag (CTF) tournament sponsored by Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Fla. By finishing first, the team won a $10,000 prize.   “Although different teams have been participating in this competition for a while, UF has often placed […]

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Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D.

Laser Attack Blinds Autonomous Vehicles, Deleting Pedestrians and Confusing Cars

November 8, 2022

Self-driving cars, like the human drivers that preceded them, need to see what’s around them to avoid obstacles and drive safely. The most sophisticated autonomous vehicles typically use lidar, a spinning radar-type device that acts as the eyes of the car. Lidar provides constant information about the distance to objects so the car can decide […]

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Vincent Bindschaedler, Ph.D., and Kevin R. B. Butler, Ph.D.

Researchers Receive $1.2M NSF Grant to Study and Thwart Surveillanceware

November 18, 2021

Cybersecurity is an ever-changing field of research, with new forms of security threats appearing often. One increasingly common threat, surveillanceware, involves a malicious individual installing software on a victim’s mobile device enabling secret remote monitoring of the device’s activity. Using a new $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation researchers at the University of […]

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Patrick Traynor, Ph.D.

Traynor Awarded $1.7 Million from Department of Homeland Security to Secure Cellular Networks

April 6, 2021

Patrick Traynor, Ph.D., the John H. and Mary Lou Dasburg Preeminent Chair in Engineering, was recently awarded a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate. The research and development project, titled “Deploying Defenses for Cellular Networks Using the AWARE Testbed,” will focus on securing mobile networks. Dr. Traynor […]

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Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology Rendering

UF to begin construction on Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology

December 9, 2020

The University of Florida began construction on the Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology, a 263,000-square-foot academic building located in the heart of UF’s main campus that will connect students and researchers from across disciplines and create a hub for advances in computing, communication and cyber-technologies with the potential for profound societal impact. […]

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Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D.

Gilbert Testifies Before U.S. House Committee about Election Security

January 22, 2020

Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., The Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor, testified as an expert witness regarding election security during a hearing by the House Administration Committee earlier this month. Dr. Gilbert, who has been conducting research on elections for more than 15 years and who was one of two academics asked to testify, shared his […]

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The UF-SIT team that competed at the CyberForce Competition

UF-SIT Team Places First in CyberForce Competition

December 16, 2019

The University of Florida Student InfoSec Team (UF-SIT) placed first at the Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) during the 2019 CyberForce Competition out of 15 participating teams and placed third nationally out of 104 teams. This is the Department of Energy’s fifth iteration of its cyber defense competition, designed to inspire and develop the next […]

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A picture of the hacked challenge at CSAW

UF-SIT Team Takes First in Pwny Race at NYU’s CSAW Competition

December 6, 2019

Walking into New York University for Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW), the Kernel Sanders team didn’t know they would leave as champions. Owen Flannagan, a junior competing on behalf of the University of Florida team, swept through the bracket beating No. 1 seed Perfect Blue to win first place in the Pwny Race. The team […]

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