Students are familiar with the Crimson Tide defense on the football field, but a new student organization on campus, Crimson Defense, is quickly gaining its own fan base.

Crimson Defense is UA’s first student organization dedicated to cybersecurity. The group is comprised of students from multiple colleges and fields of study including engineering, computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering and criminal justice.

“Crimson Defense provides students with a unique, multifaceted approach to cybersecurity,” said Jake Wachs, the group’s president. “Our three-prong approach of teaching, advocating and competing allows students to find their niche in the growing field of cybersecurity.”

Crimson Defense offers lessons in cybersecurity practices such as penetration testing, malware reverse engineering and network defense principles. Groups of students within Crimson Defense regularly compete in local, state and national cybersecurity competitions. Last year, the group competed for the first time in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition where they placed 19th in the southeastern region.

Crimson Defense is passionate about establishing a program of study in cybersecurity. The group is working with UA faculty and staff to launch a cybersecurity specialization for computer science students, with the ultimate goal of creating a cybersecurity major at UA.

Learn more about Crimson Defense by reading the full article on the UA news site.