Pace’s new Cybersecurity Club hosted its “Meet and Greet” event this past Wednesday to educate others of the organization and events they plan to host.
The Executive Board members of the club are Adiel Vanegas-Robles, President; Brandon Tejada, Vice President; Natasha Larencule, Secretary; and Tyler Coleman, Treasurer.
“The purpose of the club is to promote information security awareness across the entire campus,” said Adiel Vanegas-Robles, president of the Cybersecurity Club. “Our goal is to help students understand how to protect themselves in practical ways.”
At the event, the club showcased different stickers and materials. Vanegas-Robles states, “The items on the table were a personal collection of stickers and materials I’ve gathered from cybersecurity conferences I’ve attended and competed in, some alongside my team members. These were meant to showcase real-world experiences and opportunities in the field.”
The club also showcased a device called the Flipper Zero. Vanegas-Robles says the device “is used in the cybersecurity industry for testing Level 1 security systems. For the event, I customized it by adding a small game (brick breaker) and a motion module so students could interact with it in a fun and approachable way.”
Natasha Larencule, the club’s Secretary, highlights that students do not need to major in technology or STEM-related fields to join the club.
“All students are welcome. The club creates a welcoming environment for all students.”
In addition, the club will host a variety of events throughout the year. One such event is the “Capture – the – Flag”.
“These are challenge-based competitions where participants solve cybersecurity problems (e.g., cryptography, web security, forensics), and the “flag” is the correct solution—such as a hidden code or discovered piece of information,” said Vanegas-Robles.
The club will also have a “Phishing Awareness” event in the Fall semester. This event will inform students about how to protect themselves from phishing, which is a cyberattack that involves trying to steal other people’s information.
In addition to the “Phishing Awareness” event, the club will host a “Hashing” event. Hashing is a method to prevent others from accessing personal information. At this event, students will learn about password cracking, which is a criminal act in which someone tries to figure out another person’s password. Brandon Tejada, the Vice President of Cybersecurity Club, states that event will “help make students aware of password safety.”
Students can find out more information about the Cybersecurity club on their Discord. Vanegas-Robles states, “Communication is mainly through our Discord. Students can email me to request the link. In the future, we plan to create a social media role within the club to manage outreach and help develop future leadership.” You can email Adiel Vanegas-Robles at [email protected].