JACKSON, Miss. – Today Governor Tate Reeves announced the state’s participation in CyberStart America, an innovative, online cybersecurity talent search and competition.

 

CyberStart America is sponsored by the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation and the SANS Institute. The program consists of a series of online challenges that allow students to act as cyber protection agents, solve cybersecurity-related puzzles, and explore topics such as code-breaking, programming, networking, and digital forensics. Participation in the program is free for schools and students. Mississippi students in grades 9 through 12 are encouraged to explore their aptitude for cybersecurity and computer science by participating in the program. The National Cyber Scholarship Foundation anticipates awarding approximately $2 million in scholarships for use at any accredited college to 600 high-scoring students across the nation who participate in the competition.

 

For additional information on CyberStart America, please visit www.cyberstartamerica.org. Registration will be open through April 29, 2022. Students will be informed if they qualify for the CyberStart National Scholarship Challenge Round (“Nationals”) when they have achieved sufficient progress but will be allowed to continue playing to build skills to be used at Nationals.

To see the types of challenges that students will face in the games, please visit https://go.cyberstart.com.

 

“There has never been a greater need for cybersecurity experts than today,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “The CyberStart America Program provides the hands-on experience Mississippi students need to enter this highly specialized field, and I encourage students to participate in this exciting competition.”

 

“As technology continues to advance, Mississippi will need additional cybersecurity professionals to protect citizens’ personal information and financial data,” said Commissioner Sean Tindell. “It is our hope that the CyberStart America program will allow more students to discover their interest in cybersecurity, ultimately diminishing the national skill shortage in this critical field.”