ESET Announces Start of Cyber Boot Camp 2014

Week-Long Educational Program Gives Students Real World Cybersecurity Training

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Jun 16, 2014, 10:00 ET

SAN DIEGO, June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ESET®, the global leader in proactive digital protection, today announced the start of the fourth annual Cyber Boot Camp for local high school students, taking place this week at the company's North American headquarters. The camp, hosted by Securing Our eCity and sponsored by ESET; California Coast Credit Union; Computers 2 San Diego Kids; Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, LLP; Mendez Strategy Group; and San Diego Gas & Electric, consists of five days of intense cybersecurity education that combines hands-on experience in a computer lab with presentations from subject matter experts, including a U.S. magistrate judge and members of the FBI's cyber squad.

"We are delighted to expand this year's Cyber Boot Camp to include the top three winning teams of the San Diego Mayor's Cyber Cup and thank our sponsors for their ongoing support of this worthwhile program," said Liz Fraumann, executive director, Securing Our eCity Foundation. "Providing an educational experience like this ensures students not only learn about computer security, but have a safe environment to apply new skills and obtain valuable, hands-on experience in the field that can and has led to cyber careers for students that have had the privilege and unique experience of attending the Cyber Boot Camp."

Nearly two dozen students from Canyon Crest Academy, Westview and Mira Mesa High Schools and numerous volunteers from the local community are participating in this year's camp. In addition to sponsors, cybersecurity experts from the following organizations will be on hand to speak to students during the week-long event: Bridgepoint Education, C.A.T.C.H., FBI, Georgia Tech Research Institute, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Gas & Electric, Verizon and more.

At the heart of the Cyber Boot Camp is a computer lab, known to participants as "The War Room," which enables students to practice both computer defense and system penetration in a safe environment. The lab was created by ESET Security Researcher, Cameron Camp, CISSP, who will be on hand to instruct students throughout the week. One of this year's highlighted activities features an off-campus visit to the Southern District of California U.S. District Court, where the students will engage with Judge Mitchell D. Dembin as he outlines how the choices they make now will have a profound impact on their future. During the Cyber Boot Camp and in the future, students will be faced with a life-long decision whether to use their highly honed skill set wearing a "white hat" for the good of the nation and future employers or to slip on the "black hat," where they will have to look over their shoulder for the rest of their life. Judge Dembin is proficient at bringing these choices to light in ways that only a former Assistant U. S. Attorney and current Federal Magistrate can.

"It's a privilege to be involved with this event again this year and meet the talented students who take part in the Boot Camp," said Andrew Lee, CEO, ESET North America. "Our hope is that students who enjoy the activities this week consider a career in cybersecurity and after college, move back to share their talents with the San Diego community, perhaps even at ESET."

In addition to many yearly contributions to education in cybersecurity and its local community, ESET provides a series of complimentary cybersecurity training modules to all its customers. The educational series features real-world cybercrime scenarios presented in an approachable and easy-to-understand format. ESET customers can take advantage of the learning by logging onto http://www.eset.com/us/download/training/.

About ESET

ESET®, the pioneer of proactive protection and the maker of the award-winning ESET NOD32® technology, is a global provider of security solutions for businesses and consumers. For over 26 years, the Company continues to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. By obtaining the 80th VB100 award in June 2013, ESET NOD32 technology holds the record number of Virus Bulletin "VB100" Awards, and has never missed a single "In-the-Wild" worm or virus since the inception of testing in 1998. In addition, ESET NOD32 technology holds the longest consecutive string of the VB100 awards of any AV vendor. ESET has also received a number of accolades from AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST and other testing organizations and reviews. ESET NOD32® Antivirus, ESET Smart Security®, ESET Cyber Security® (solution for Mac), ESET® Mobile Security and IT Security for Business are trusted by millions of global users and are among the most recommended security solutions in the world.

The Company has global headquarters in Bratislava (Slovakia), with regional distribution centers in San Diego (U.S.), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Singapore; with offices in Jena (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). ESET has malware research centers in Bratislava, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Prague, Kosice (Slovakia), Krakow (Poland), Montreal (Canada), Moscow (Russia) and an extensive partner network for more than 180 countries. More information is available at the ESET Press Center.