HACK NDSU: A Real-world Event to Promote Student Interest in Cybersecurity

2026-02-02

AI Summary

This study addresses the critical challenge of effectively engaging students in cybersecurity education through authentic, hands-on experiences. For the first time, under professional supervision, students conducted controlled network scanning, vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing against North Dakota State University’s live production network, creating an immersive, real-world learning environment. This initiative not only bridges the gap in educational hacking activities targeting actual operational systems but also establishes a replicable and scalable pedagogical framework for cybersecurity instruction in higher education. The resulting model offers an innovative reference for peer institutions seeking to enhance practical cybersecurity training while maintaining rigorous ethical and operational safeguards.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Security
• Search and Optimization: Learning to Search
• Computer Vision: Adversarial Attacks & Robustness

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Cyber-crime defenses and forensics
• Responsible Web: Measurement, analysis, and circumvention of Web censorship
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures

Abstract

Hack NDSU let students scan, probe, and hack North Dakota State University's campus network, under professionals'supervision, providing an aspirational experience, potentially motivating them to enter the field. This paper provides a blueprint for educational hacking events against production systems. No prior educational event of this type is known.

Problem

• cybersecurity
• student engagement
• educational hacking
• real-world event
• network security

Innovation

• educational hacking
• cybersecurity education
• penetration testing
• real-world cybersecurity event
• student engagement