In the Spring of 2020, NYU CGA’s cyber policy team, The Tron Wizards of Woolworth, made it to the semi-finals during their very first participation in The Atlantic Council’s national Cyber 9/12 policy competition (virtually) in Washington DC. Their mission? To brief a simulated National Security Council (NSC), using their understanding of cyber and global affairs, on how to mediate, fix, and mitigate the effects of cyber warfare on a series of complex global security issues:
This year’s scenario involved a cyber attack on shipping software that devastatingly impacted international maritime trade.
Through the competition, students were given intelligence reports filled with key findings and clues related to a malware disruption in a shipping company’s cargo tracking software.
They were then tasked with creating a series of policy solutions to present to the NSC. The goal was to shape the NSC’s strategic efforts in stopping the attack before it spread to more ports, ships, and other vital systems within the ship’s infrastructure (ie. navigation). Failure to do so would devastate the U.S. and China’s economy during the holiday season, and critically impare global trade relationships around the world.
All scenarios presented by The Atlantic Council are based in critical issues that the United States and global community face through the dependence on vulnerable cyber technology,.
We’re excited for the next time our students get to compete- in person- in the fall, at the local level in NYC. If you’re a CGA student interested in competing in the next scenario, please contact Dr. Pano Yannakogeorgos, Faculty lead for CGA’s new MS in Global Security, Conflict, and Cybercrime, directly at py16@nyu.edu