Oklahoma students qualify for national cyber security competition

Cyber security is a growing, high-paying field that is designed to protect digital information.

Several state and community leaders gathered at the state Commerce Department on Wednesday to congratulate the teams before their trip.

The Air Force Association created the CyberPatriot competition in 2008 to teach high school students about cyber security and to promote science, technology, engineering and math education.

During the competition, students face real-life cyber security situations. They must defend a computer or a computer network against viruses, hackers and other threats. Students had to make it through three rounds of competition to qualify for the national finals.

About 660 teams started in the competition. Only 17 remain, including the two schools from Oklahoma.

That is a huge accomplishment for the state, especially since no Oklahoma teams entered the competition last year, said Dave Wagie, director of aerospace economic development for the Commerce Department.

Wagie and other officials hope the success Oklahoma teams have had this year will generate more interest in cyber security. Some students are already excited to return, Wagie said.