White Hats of the Web

Last summer, Drexel’s first-ever competitive cybersecurity team, the CyberDragons, was brand new and still learning the basics. But after a fourth-place finish in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition’s Mid-Atlantic Regional in the spring — an impressive result against a field of veteran opponents — the CyberDragons are novices no more.

The CyberDragons rounded into shape as winter turned to spring and the eight-member team sorted out individual responsibilities and acclimated to the rigors of competition, says Colbert Zhu, a computer science student who formed the squad and served as co-captain. Advancing to the regional round of the national contest made clear that the Dragons aren’t rookies anymore.

“This competition is pretty different from any other, which is awesome because it’s the most applied,” says Zhu.

“If you can get through this, you’re definitely in a good position to go into the industry.” — Colbert Zhu, computer science student, founder and co-captain of CyberDragons.