Parsons announced the successful completion of the National Security Agency (NSA) Cyber Exercise (NCX) Live Fire event. The daylong event featured 12 teams of cadets and midshipmen from the United States’ Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard academies competing in a series of simulated cyber-attack and defend scenarios. The event was held at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
“Parsons is proud to bring our many years of cybersecurity experience supporting the U.S. government in helping prepare America’s future warfighters,” said Carey Smith, Parsons Group President. “The NSA and other government agencies we support are on the front lines of the cyber battlefield, which enables us to plan and facilitate this event using real-world, relevant challenges and the latest cyber adversary trends.”
In recent years, Parsons has conducted dozens of capture-the-flag style cyber challenges, both for universities and as company-funded events to support the national imperative of creating the future cyber workforce. The NCX Live Fire event for the NSA required Parsons to plan and execute the entire event, including scenario building and onsite facilitating and scoring of both the attack and defend portions and 60 unique challenges for the participating cadets and midshipmen.
“The key to this event’s success was assuring the teams faced realistic scenarios that reflect the types of strategic and tactical approaches currently being employed by America’s adversaries,” said Devin Elmore, Parsons Vice President, National Cyber Programs. “Parsons subject matter experts gave the cadets and midshipmen a rare glimpse of what U.S. government defense and intelligence agencies face each and every day as well as a preview of what life is going to be like for them when they graduate.”
A team of Parsons cyber professionals built the software that scores each team’s ability to effectively attack competitors’ networks while protecting their respective networks and mission-critical information. The winner of the NCX Live Fire 2018 event was an Air Force Academy team.
For more information about NCX 2018, contact NSA’s Public and Media Affairs Office by email at [email protected].
Parsons is a digitally-enabled solutions provider focused on the defense, security, and infrastructure markets. With nearly 75 years of experience, Parsons is uniquely qualified to deliver cyber/converged security, technology-based intellectual property, and other innovative services packaged in innovative alternative delivery methods to federal, regional, and local government agencies, as well as to private industrial customers worldwide. For more about Parsons, please visit www.parsons.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.