Students at Stanford University won the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition, which took place Nov. 22–24 at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) provides a vehicle for up and coming cybersecurity student teams to build and hone the skills required to effectively discover, triage, and mitigate critical security vulnerabilities, says the CPTC website. The competition is "unique in offering a simulated environment that mimics realworld networks and focuses on improving the security posture of a fictitious organization and reporting on risks in a manner that is similar to a real professional environment," notes the organization. 

The top 3 collegiate teams were:

1. Stanford University
2. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
3. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Other participating teams were:

• Penn State University
• Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai
• University at Buffalo
• University of Central Florida
• University of Virginia
• United States Air Force Academy
• Virginia Commonwealth University

“With generous support from sponsors, advisor, and volunteers, CPTC has evolved to become the world’s largest simulation infrastructure devoted to offensive security,” said Justin Pelletier, director of CPTC and a lecturer in RIT’s computing security department. “Cybersecurity competitions are an important mechanism for training and evaluation; these competitions address broad and deep cybersecurity workforce development needs.”