Cybersecurity

George Mason University’s Mason Competitive Cyber team comprising undergraduates from both the Cyber Security Engineering (CYSE) and the Information Sciences and Technology (IST) Departments, won first place at the 9th Annual Commonwealth Cyber Fusion and Virginia Cyber Cup. The high‑intensity, four‑hour capture‑the‑flag competition showcased their skill, teamwork, and growing leadership in Virginia’s cybersecurity community.

Funded by a $3.9 million grant, the Scholarship for Service program supports students who commit to working in government cybersecurity roles after graduation.

George Mason graduate student Kevin Landry turned his passion for honeypots into a hands-on classroom project, leading his team to build a customized cyber trap that attracted real-world attackers and gave students an eye-opening look at cloud security.

Members of George Mason University’s Cyber Security Engineering Department joined industry and government leaders at the Northern Virginia Technology Council Cyber Summit & Cyber50 Awards.

George Mason University team discovers anonymization tool vulnerability.

When George Mason University cyber security engineering student Noah Hinger interned at Surefire Cyber in summer 2023, his managers were so impressed with his work that they invited him back. Thanks to his previous experience, the Honors College student was able to take on more responsibility this summer at the computer security company and contribute to more projects.

Matthew Dalton joined George Mason University as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in May, bringing more than 25 years of experience as a cybersecurity leader at R1 institutions. In his new role with Information Technology Services, he will provide vision and strategy for information security at Virginia’s largest public research university.

When cyber security engineering major Connor Wadlin learned about ransomware attacks on organizations, such as the one on the Health Service Executive in Ireland, in his CYSE 445 System Security and Resilience class, it confirmed his commitment to dedicating his educational and professional career to protecting and preserving human lives.

The Country to Country (C2C) Capture the Flag (CTF) contest is an international competition that issues challenges to code, decrypt, search, hack, and reverse engineer their way through as many challenges as possible.

Earlier this year, Melissa Perez was named assistant vice president for research security in the Office of Research Integrity and Assurance at George Mason University. In this role, she oversees university-wide policies and processes to ensure compliance with research security laws and regulations (including export control), international collaborations, travel, and cybersecurity. As George Mason’s designated research security officer, she also leads institutional responses to threats affecting the university’s research compliance and standing.