Cyber Cadet Challenge
Mission 1 – Defend the Game (DEMO)
Intro Story: Welcome to NovaGaming Studios
NovaGaming Studios is a fast-growing game company known for its hit online battle arena game, "Star Clash." Players worldwide log in every second to compete, level up, and show off their ranks.
Behind the scenes, NovaGaming runs powerful cloud servers to keep the game running smoothly and stores millions of player scores and stats. The company also has three real-world offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York—where developers, designers, and engineers build updates, fix bugs, and support players.
But with great games come great risks.
Hackers want to:
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Break into servers,
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Change game rules,
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Steal player data, or
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Shut the game down completely.
That’s where Cybersecurity Engineers come in.
To stop adversaries like Cozy Signal, you’ll take on the role of a Cyber Academy Cadet—a student engineer tasked with defending NovaGaming’s systems using real-world cybersecurity tactics.
In Mission 1, you’ll focus on three Defense Objectives designed to protect NovaGaming’s game infrastructure:
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Secure the connection between the game server and the scoreboard database
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Lock down the network that links NovaGaming’s U.S. offices to the cloud
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Reduce the attack surface by eliminating exposed entry points hackers could exploit
Each Defense Objective mirrors challenges cybersecurity engineers face every day.
Understand them.
Break them down.
Get ready to defend.
Let’s jump in. Your mission begins now.
Step 1: Here is your Cyber Adversary Card for this Mission.
Step 2: Meet the Enemy
In every cybersecurity mission, you’re not just solving puzzles — you’re going head-to-head with real-world threat actors. These adversaries are clever, fast, and constantly evolving. To defend the game, you need to know who you're up against.
What’s a Cyber Adversary Card?
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A Cyber Adversary Card is like a digital profile of the enemy. It tells you:
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What kind of hacker you facing
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What they’re known for
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How do they try to break in
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And how can you stop them
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Each mission will feature a different adversary. For Mission 1, you're taking on:
Step 3: Cozy Signal (APT29)
A real-world cyber threat group known for stealthy attacks, Cozy Signal has targeted cloud systems, government agencies, and major companies around the world. Now, they’ve set their sights on NovaGaming Studios.
Their plan? Infiltrate the game’s cloud infrastructure, intercept communications, and cause chaos.
Step 4: Why This Card Matters
As you complete each simulation in your mission:
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Use the card to study their tactics
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Think like a hacker — how would you break in?
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Then apply your training to build the defenses to stop them
This card is more than information — it’s your enemy dossier. Study it. Know it. And beat it.
