In less than 30 days, the U.S. Defense Department will dish out 11 prizes for innovative solutions to real-world challenges facing digital forensics examiners. And it’s not too late to join the fight against cyber crime. Submissions for the 2010 Defense Department Cyber Crime Center (DC3) Digital Forensics Challenge will be accepted until November 2.

The public challenge encourages individuals, teams and institutions around the world to provide technical solutions for computer forensic examiners in the lab and the field. Participants can chose from 25 unique challenges that range from basic forensics to advanced tool development. Each challenge level is associated with a total number of points based on the difficulty.

Jim Christy, director of future exploration for DC3 and creator of the challenge, says the initiative addresses real issues with forensic exams at the Defense Computer Forensics Lab by providing research and development resources not currently available. He detailed the contest for the Defense Department’s Armed with Science blog.

This year, organizers categorized the challenges as level 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500. Those categorized as 100 are considered very easy problems to solve, while challenges in the 500 series do not currently have a known solution. Christy hopes that someone will step up to develop a new tool or process that will solve these issues for the community.

The Defense Cyber Crime Institute tests and validates the new solutions, and the results, tools and processes will be posted on the challenge website for the public. Commercial companies are eligible to enter solutions. “The more folks we have looking at the problems, the better the solutions and tools we’ll get,” says Christy.

Winners could receive prizes based on the category in which they are competing. These categories include U.S. overall; government; military; high school; community college; undergraduate; post-graduate; non-U.S. overall; international civilian; international commercial; and U.K. winner.

So far this year, 967 teams have signed up to participate. A team can comprise up to four members. Those interesting in joining the challenge and go to the website for additional information.

We own the night. It’s the U.S. Army’s slogan that encapsulates their strength when it comes to night-vision technology. And as part of the Army’s push to encourage the next generation of engineers and designers, a group of local teachers got to see first hand through the eyes of a soldier.

Five science teachers from Fort Belvoir Elementary School attended Knowledge Day at Fort Belvoir. The event aimed to engage educators in Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) programs in the hopes that they would take the knowledge and excitement back to the classroom. But this group quickly learned they wouldn’t just be playing with high-tech toys—they were “investigating and experimenting” with some serious equipment.

Col. Stephanie Foster, USA, program manager for soldiers, sensors and lasers, Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, welcomed the group and thanked the teachers for their service. “For me, it’s all about the little ones,” the colonel explained. She believes finding innovative ways to make STEM subjects interesting for students will influence future leaders in the field.

Photo Courtesy of Douglas Graham

Knowledge Day kicked off in a 90-meter indoor firing facility long enough for soldiers to put M-24 sniper rifles to the test. First up, the PEO Soldier team presented the PVS-7 night-vision binocular goggle system, which is available to every soldier. The lightweight, hands-free goggles hook on to a soldier’s helmet and can run on two AA batteries for more than 40 hours.

Next, the group tried on the PVS-14 monocular night-vision goggles, which cost $3,200 a pair. The Army is now migrating towards this model, which gives a soldier 20/20 vision in the dark and can upload and export images seen through the lens. Roughly 110,000 soldiers now have access to these in the field.

This smaller, more efficient model aligns with the Army’s constant focus on size, weight and power. Many soldiers carry between 80 and 120 pounds on their backs, said Col. Foster. Everyone wants to add warfighter tools and technology, but no one wants to take anything away, she explained. They need innovative developers to make it easier for warfighters to function while ensuring their comfort and confidence in a variety of conditions. Col. Foster believes the visual timeline of change and innovation associated with the warfighter technology can help students understand how they can impact the field once they graduate.

Photo Courtesy of Douglas Graham

Next the group held a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which weighs in at just 4.5 pounds. The UAV has a 60-inch wingspan and breaks down into seven small pieces that fit into the soldiers backpack. In the field, the warfighter can assemble the Raven and launch it by hand. It transmits video using two charge-coupled device cameras on the UAV’s nose and operates with a controller the size of a PlayStation Portable game controller, which bodes well for the younger generations often glued to their gaming sets, remarked one of the attendees. About 2,000 of these are currently in theater.

Throughout the demonstrations, the focus stayed on educational efforts. Col. Foster said if just one student comes out of Fort Belvoir Elementary School with a desire to study STEM subjects, Knowledge Day has succeeded.

Apply Now for CyberPatriot III

The Air Force Association (AFA) is now collecting applications for CyberPatriot III—a nationwide competition that aims to educate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to foster the next generation of national security professionals in the United States.

CyberPatriot started in February 2009 in conjunction with AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. Organizers wanted to branch out across the U.S., and last year, CyberPatriot II began with representatives from nearly 200 high schools and 41 states participating in a virtual opening round (SIGNAL Connections coverage). The event ended with an Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps team from Utah taking home top honors.

This year, the CyberPatriot III initiative, presented by Northrop Grumman, will feature two parallel competitions—the All Service Division for up to 500 JROTC units and the Open Division for up to 500 non-JROTC high schools nationwide.

To join the competition, a high school teacher must sign up along with a team of five students. Then, the teams and their approved coaches will square off online using special software and programs provided by CyberPatriot to solve network vulnerabilities. The top teams compete again in a series of online rounds to determine the finalists who receive all-expenses-paid trips to Washington, D.C., for the championship round at the Gaylord National Convention Center during AFA’s Cyber Futures Symposium and Technology Exposition in April 2011. In addition, the winners will receive scholarships.

The registration deadline is October 8. For more information, visit www.uscyberpatriot.org.