The 2-year College Cyber Defense Competition (2CDC) is designed for those new to cyber, or early in their development of cybersecurity skills who have begun to develop cyber proficiency. The 2CDC competition can be a starting point for students who are interested in competitions and prepare students to compete in highly competitive events like CCDC, NCL, or the US Cyber Games.

2CDC is a multi-stage competition in which student teams conduct a cyber risk assessment of the simulated workplace computing environment, produce and present recommendations for securing the system, implement as many recommendations as possible given insufficient resources (budget and time) to protect all assets, and defend the system against red team penetration of the system. Scoring of this cyber consulting competition is designed to be an accurate predictor of student capability to prioritize critical assets and mitigate the impact of vulnerabilities.

Each 2CDC event can support at least 150 students in thirty 5-person teams, advised by faculty and industry coaches. An educational institution may enter as many teams as they wish in the qualifying tournament. Travel stipends are available to participate in regional qualifiers and the national final competitions at existing Cybersecurity Capabilities and Careers Symposia managed by the National CyberWatch Center in CISA regions throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Competitor registration fee discounts are available to Premium and Chapter Members of the National Cybersecurity Student Association.

Teams from institutions conferring associate degrees are eligible to qualify for the national championship in May. Qualifiers receive travel stipends for a faculty coach and five team members to attend the championship.  There is no limit on the number of teams from any school, college, or university. Anyone, regardless of age or institute, may participate as an observer to hone skills in cyber defense.