DSU wins global pentesting competition

January 29, 2025

Dakota State students reached a new milestone this year – taking first place at the global Collegiate Pen Testing Competition (CPTC). DSU teams have made it to this event several times, but this is the first time they have placed.

“I see this as a significant achievement. This group of students showed that they are not only capable of competing at the highest level of this competition, but also succeeding in this arena,” said Dr. Tyler Flaagan, an assistant professor in The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, and the team’s coach.

“They are a set of extremely talented individuals who positively represent DSU at competitions and will continue to do so after in their careers.”

More than 100 schools competed from seven global regions. Flaagan said the University of Florida took second and Penn State took third.

Team members include:

• Team captain Ryan Kleffman, a cyber operations major from Duluth, Minn.
• Rayn Light, a cyber operations major from Brandon, S.D.
• Derek Manzella, a cyber operations major from Eagan, Minn.
• Merrill Newman, a cyber operations major from Gering, Nebr.
• Gwendolyn Vongkasemsiri, a cyber operations and network security & administration double major from Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• Hunter Wade, a cyber defense master’s degree student from Flandreau, S.D.

The competition features activities these students are likely to perform in the real world of penetration testing. This year’s competition used a simulated infrastructure of social media for the basis of the activities.

Manzella said the organizers put a lot of effort into creating an interesting and realistic company environment to practice penetration testing. With the social media theme, he was able to dive more into web and application programming interface (API) hacking, which he enjoyed.

“The experience of testing a realistic network, working with the client, report writing, and presenting findings are all analogous to the work most do in a penetration testing position,” said Newman.

The setup was very accurate. “I was blown away by how accurate and realistic the competition really was,” said Wade.

Because the competition brings in aspects of technology, communication, and collaboration, students learn more than just how to deal with the technology.

“I love how the competition didn't only test your technical hacking skills, but also tested how you handle things when customers have questions, how you handle the situation when issues arise with customers and how you create a report for that customer," said Light.

The client interactions test their soft skills, Manzella said, but “are a great and fun way to practice dealing with difficult situations that arise when dealing with clients.”

Most of the students have participated in technology competitions previously, which was a benefit. Support from other sources also helped them be successful.

“DSU is incredibly supportive of students competing in cybersecurity competitions, which helps a lot,” said Vongkasemsiri. “My team used the feedback from previous years' DSU CPTC teams to pull off the win this year.”

Team captain Ryan Kleffman said, “It's been a great time here at DSU, and we wouldn't have been able to win without the support of the University, our coach Tyler Flaagan, and the work last year’s CPTC team put in.

DSU’s Google Cybersecurity Clinic supported this effort in funding the travel, so the team extends their gratitude, Flaagan said.