Computer Science
Tennessee Tech computer science student wins top award in cybersecurity video contest
A tree stands before a full moon, its bare limbs shaky in the night breeze. A dog howls in the distance – and then there’s a message:
“There’s nothing spookier than poor cybersecurity practices.”
It’s the voice of Tennessee Tech University computer science graduate student Kaitlyn Carroll as she narrates the 30-second video that garnered her first-place honors and a $1,000 cash prize in Temple University’s national Security Awareness Public Service Announcement Contest.
Carroll, who graduated from Tech with a bachelor’s degree in 2021, encourages viewers to “beware of hackers,” “avoid the ghosts of passwords past” and “think before you click on links or download files from unverified sources.”
“People really just need to know general cyber tips for everyday life – things that are easy to implement and easy to put into use to protect yourself,” she said.
The PSA contest offered competitors an opportunity to show off their cyber savviness by producing creative, informative videos on a variety of topics, including privacy, ransomware, malware, social engineering, phishing and more. Submissions were due in early 2022.
Carroll considered a few ideas before deciding on “some scary good tips” to help keep her viewers cyber-safe.
Using her animation skills, she designed spooky characters – including an ax-wielding, hockey-masked “hacker” in a dark forest, a ghost in a graveyard and a group of limbless zombies on a foggy hill – to remind viewers to “carve out time for cybersecurity.” That means doing things like installing antivirus or malware detection and using a password manager to create unique and complex passwords rather than reusing old ones.
“The contest combined two things I like – cybersecurity and animation,” she said.
Carroll animated the video on her iPad, frame by frame, using the digital illustration app Procreate.
“The whole trial and error part of putting something together probably took about three days, but the final product took less than 24 hours,” she said. “I did get pretty hyperfixated on it.”
Cybersecurity competitions are not new to Carroll – nor is winning. Most recently, she was part of a Tennessee Tech team that placed third in the global Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition. She has also participated in the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, Department of Energy Cyberforce Competition, and Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security Hivestorm Competition, among others.
Carroll is a 2018 graduate of Wartburg Central High School. She anticipates graduating from Tennessee Tech with her master’s degree in computer science in December 2022. Afterward, she plans to work for the government.
“I don’t have anything specific in mind, but I do know that one of the things I want to do is work for the government and do service – that’s a value of mine,” she said. “I’m part of the Cybercorps Scholarship for Service Program, and one of the things they emphasize is service. So, my plan after graduation is to give back to the community and also the country.”
