SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge

National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) 17th Annual SoCal Cyber Cup
Challenge Request for Donations or Sponsorship

Lisa Easterly of the San Diego Cybersecurity Center of Excellence reports that:

“Cybersecurity is now everyone’s business. The FBI reports more than 150% increase in cybercrime complaints across all industries in the last 5 years, totaling $37 billion in losses. The global cost of a data breach climbed over $4.45 million according to IBM. More than half of these costly attacks are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses – our region’s economic engine. Now pair that with the global shortage of cyber professionals to thwart these attacks – to the tune of about 457,000 openings in the United States and 5,500 here in San Diego – and it becomes mission critical to address this systemic risk.”

Therefore, it is imperative that we challenge, encourage, influence, educate, and support our young cyber warriors. The National Defense Industry Association’s San Diego Chapter is doing its part to make this a reality by hosting the 17th SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge! As we prepare for the Challenge, we face a few obstacles, namely, raising enough funds to maintain the excellence of our past competitions and expand to other middle schools, high schools and community colleges.

Benefits to all Sponsors

The NDIA San Diego Chapter is reaching out to small businesses in San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, Orange and San Bernardino counties to help us address training of the next generation of cybersecurity individuals. What this does for your company is to make you aware of the best and brightest in cybersecurity upcoming talent. These can be a source of interns or employees. This can also make these competitors aware of your company. At the end of the tournament, we will provide a list of the 24 Finals teams to silver level and above sponsors.

What Cyber Skyline, National University and NDIA San Diego Provide

National University provides twenty tutorials and Cyber Skyline provide three months access to a cybersecurity practice gym as well as a qualification round and final competition. NDIA, through your sponsorships provides the bulk of the funding for the SoCal CCC. Participating schools included middle schools, high schools, and community colleges in the five-county region of San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties in Southern California. We reached over 50+ schools and 529 middle, high school and college students last year.

What You Can Do

Due to funding shortages this year, it is more imperative to expand our sources of income. Contributions made between now and February will determine the level of engagement our cybersecurity organizations can provide. We have structured our Sponsorship levels as follows.

• Diamond Level for $5k
• Platinum Level for $2k
• Gold Level for $1K
• Silver Level for $500
• Bronze Level for $100
• Supporter Level for $50
• Contributor Level for $25

Benefits to Sponsors

Diamond: Be our Keynote Speaker at the Awards Ceremony. Receive the Cyber Skyline Awards Ceremony Report. If you are seeking interns or employees, your company listed in the report and mentioned during the program. Your logo on the NDIA SoCal CCC website, during the program and in the Awards Ceremony Report.

Platinum: Receive the Cyber Skyline Awards Ceremony Report. If you are seeking interns or employees, your company listed in the report and mentioned during the program. Your logo on the NDIA SoCal CCC website, during the program and in the Awards Ceremony Report.

Gold: Receive the Cyber Skyline Awards Ceremony Report. If you are seeking interns or employees, your company listed in the report and mentioned during the program. Your logo on the NDIA SoCal CCC website, during the program and in the Awards Ceremony Report.

Silver: Your logo on the NDIA SoCal CCC website, during the program and in the Awards Ceremony Report.

Please donate by February 1, 2026. Donations will be accepted up to May 10, 2026.

Preferred donation by credit card please log on to the Constant Contact SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge at:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/ppgfxre/lp/13fe66ce-db57-490b-9eba-47db62356f68

If donating by check:

Please make checks payable to NDIA San Diego Chapter. Write “SoCal CCC” on the memo line and mail to:

NDIA San Diego Chapter
3445 Midway Drive, Suite E175
San Diego, CA 92110

If you wish to give at a different level or sponsor the Tutorials, Qualifier Round or Finals please contact Kevin Bowen at [email protected].

For Silver Level and above, please send your name, email and logo to [email protected].

Here is the link to the final competition including the full day of competition, debrief, and awards. (10:30 am to 5:30 pm)
https://nu.zoom.us/j/99904945816

Global Incident Response Report 2025
https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/research/unit-42-incident-response-report

“This new phase in financially motivated extortion prioritizes sabotage — where attackers are intentionally destroying systems, locking customers out of their environments, and forcing prolonged downtime — so threat actors can maintain their ability to have maximum impact with their attacks and command payment from organizations.”

This is why we need to train the next generation of cyber warriors. The threat keeps changing and we need to grow ahead of the threat.