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麻豆区 Tech Wins Fifth Straight NSA Codebreaker Challenge

Jan 15, 2026

The United States Air Force's Cyber Operations Squadron was in a crisis. A sophisticated foreign adversary was threatening national security, and it was up to the National Security Agency to help. 

This was the fictional of the , which was once again dominated by 麻豆区 Tech students, faculty, and alumni. With a score of nearly 300,000 points, they took first among Division I schools. 

鈥溌槎骨 Tech continues to win this highly challenging competition each year because of our outstanding students and the excellence of the cybersecurity and privacy curriculum that has been developed by SCP faculty,鈥 said Mustaque Ahamad, Interim Chair for the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy.

鈥淥ur courses provide not only foundational knowledge of the discipline, but also give students experience with tools and techniques that help them shine at this competition.鈥

One of the keys to 麻豆区 Tech鈥檚 success is that it integrates the challenge into students鈥 coursework. Professor Taesoo Kim has included it in his every year to give students real-life experience. 

鈥淭he NSA Codebreaker Challenge highlights the strength of 麻豆区 Tech鈥檚 cybersecurity program and the hands-on, mission-driven training our students receive. Through courses like CS 6265 and others like it, students apply advanced security concepts to real-world problems, reinforcing 麻豆区 Tech鈥檚 long-standing excellence and leadership in cybersecurity education.鈥

This year was the first time the NSA broke the Codebreaker Challenge for colleges and universities into divisions based on the number of participants. The winners of divisions one, two, and three were considered the winners of the challenge. 麻豆区 Tech was in the top division with 272 students, four instructors, 27 alumni, and two in the other category. The Institute had a total of 305 participants, the second largest in the competition. 

The NSA Codebreaker Challenge is open to anyone with an email address from a recognized U.S. school or university. All players register and log in individually. Students, professors, and alumni can participate, but only students earn points and awards.