UNLV’s Rebel Recon team recently took first place in the national CISA-recognized Social Engineering Competition (SEC). The team is made up of graduate students Shanzeh Aslam, (Computer Science; Information Systems), Hareign Casaclang, (Computer Science; CyberCorps SFS Scholar), Bianca Ionescu, (Computer Science; Information Systems; CyberCorps SFS Scholar), and Luke Rasmusson, (Computer Science; Information Systems).
Hosted by Temple University’s Cybersecurity in Application, Research and Education (CARE) Lab and OWASP Philly, this year’s live competition was focused on Social Engineering + AI + Healthcare with the specific theme of “AI-Enhanced Social Engineering Attacks on a Community-Based Pharmacy.”
The human factor is increasingly being leveraged in cyberattacks, making social engineering a major concern for cybersecurity and an important area for students to get real-world experience in.
The SEC hosts competitions for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, each competing in their own category and for overall competition winner. Rebel Recon won in the graduate student category and took first place overall.
As first-place winners, the team receives $1,000 and a guaranteed spot in the Social Engineering Community Vishing Competition (SECVC) at DEFCON 34 taking place in Las Vegas, August 6-9.
