Code hunt as platform for gamification of cybersecurity training
Sandro Fouché, Andrew Mangle · 2015
The nation needs more cybersecurity professionals. Beyond just a general shortage, women, African Americans, and Latino Americans are underrepresented in the field. This not only contributes to the scarcity of qualified cybersecurity professionals, but the absence of diversity leads to a lack of perspective and differing viewpoints. Part of the problem is that cybersecurity suffers from barriers to entry that include expensive training, exclusionary culture, and the need for costly infrastructure. In order for students to start learning about cybersecurity, access to training, infrastructure and subject matter experts is imperative. The existing Code Hunt framework, used to help students master programming, could be a springboard to help reduce the challenges facing students interested in cybersecurity. Code Hunt offers gamification, community supported development, and a cloud infrastructure that provides an on-ramp to immediate learning. Leveraging Code Hunt's structured gaming model can addresses these weaknesses and makes cybersecurity training more accessible to those without the means or inclination to participate in more traditional cybersecurity competitions.