What's a Cyber Star?

It takes people with a particular combination of talent and skill to defeat relentless and increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.

These cyber professionals have three essential ingredients:

Tenacity, curiosity and a strong desire to keep learning.

Mastery of foundation knowledge - fundamentals of computers, operating systems, networking, programming, and vulnerabilities.

Real-world, hands-on skills - go beyond theory into practical applications.

Why do we need more Cyber Stars?

Right now, these professionals are rare. But, they're an essential part of a successful cybersecurity team. That's why we call them Cyber Stars.

Wait. Stop. We're not talking about guys in hoodies who spend too much time alone in front of a screen. No. In fact, the potential to be a Cyber Star exists in all kinds of young people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

This isn't just for people with good coding or math skills. Almost anyone who likes problem solving, puzzles, games or mastering new technologies can be great at cybersecurity and find out that's true by just giving the CyberStart game a try.

It's simple; the current cyber talent pipeline isn't working well enough.

In the age of ransomware, any internet-connected enterprise (utilities, banks, tech companies, healthcare organizations, government agencies, etc.) needs skilled cyber professionals urgently. We call the best of these professionals Cyber Stars - and there aren't nearly enough. The U.S. needs tens of thousands more.

To help close this gap, the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation launched a range of initiatives with the goal to build a better, more assured pipeline for cyber talent that will add tens of thousands more Cyber Stars in the coming years.

How do I get involved?