LSU Business Student Earns Third Place in National Cyber Threat Competition

Armed with knowledge from his cybersecurity courses, LSU information systems & decision sciences major Daniel Lichowid Jr., earned third place in a nationwide cybersecurity competition sponsored by Deloitte. Approximately 1,500 students completed rigorous technical challenges to be among the 60 selected for the final in-person competition. Anh Do, a finance and ISDS major, and Olame Muliri, a computer science major from the College of Engineering, also advanced to the second and final round of the competition. 

Tasked with a scenario where a hotel experienced a cyber attack and a data breach, Lichowid and his team, which included students from other universities and business disciplines, had to go beyond the technical aspects to address the problem. His specific role was to "respond and detect," which most directly dealt with the forensic and technical aspects of the case. Each remaining team member took the lead on cyber strategy, communications, data privacy, or finance. Their final response included strategies for dealing with impacts on the company's customers and constituents using a combination of solutions derived from each category of work. 

"These cases are more of a business case rather than a technical one," said Lichowid. "With cyber threats, a lot goes on behind the scenes in a business sense. These threats can have big impacts on a business, and our response had to encompass all of those aspects."

As part of the Scholarship First Agenda, LSU gives students the tools and knowledge needed to lead the fight against cyber crime. Their expertise protects businesses and critical infrastructure. 

Read MORE ABOUT THE DELOITTE CYBER THREAT COMPETITION