PNW hosts competitors at regional cyber defense competition

Purdue University Northwest students and staff, along with mascot Leo the Lion, take a group photo during the Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) welcomed over a hundred students representing 12 colleges and universities from across 10 Midwest states for the 2026 Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

Participants in the two-day competition worked diligently on real-world cyber challenges, including defending systems against simulated attacks while maintaining critical business operations. Teams battled against “hackers” attempting to exploit compromised information and their servers’ vulnerabilities.

Purdue University Northwest’s College of Technology, department of Computer Information Technology and Graphics and Center for Cybersecurity collectively sponsored and hosted the regional competition. This was PNW’s second year hosting.

DePaul University’s team claimed first place at the 2026 Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, thereby qualifying as the Midwest’s representative for the national competition.

“We are so thrilled to have hosted the Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense competition for the second time at PNW,” said Keyuan Jiang, chair of the department of Computer Information Technology and Graphics. “The incredible teamwork of the College of Technology, department of Computer Information Technology and Graphics, and Center for Cybersecurity made the competition event extremely successful.”

“Hosting the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition for the Midwest region has been a great opportunity for PNW to demonstrate our commitment to support cybersecurity education, workforce development and professional development for students,” said Michael Tu, professor of Computer Information Technology and director of PNW’s Center for Cybersecurity.

Gwyneth Sutherlin, associate professor and director of the University Consortium for Cybersecurity for the Department of Defense at National Defense University, delivers the keynote address at the Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in PNW’s Alumni Hall.

David Durkee, director of competition operations, speaks to competitors prior to the start of the Midwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.