Student clubs offer cybersecurity advancement

Arizona State University students maintain at least a half dozen clubs dedicated to some form of cybersecurity. Through these different cyber clubs, students have opportunities to unlock new potential in their future careers.

Passionate members, like Allen Foust, president of one club, are “making a difference at ASU” while “partner(ing) with huge names in the game.” Through club participation, students can create memorable experiences and pursue relevant challenges.

Prospective members can connect with the club most convenient to their campus that aligns with both their social and career-specific goals.

Cybersecurity Club at West campus

This club serves as a foundation for cyber students. President of the club Paul Wagenseller says that the goal is to provide a “space for students to gain valuable knowledge and experience” in cybersecurity. Regardless of skill level, the Cybersecurity Club invites all students to delve deeper into the craft and join.

Wagenseller invites fellow “students (to) learn more about cybersecurity and be directed into a path where they thrive in any area of cybersecurity they desire to pursue.” He encourages more students join, so they have opportunities to connect to students and faculty at the other campus while building a larger cyber network among interested students.

The club centers around various cyber challenges throughout the academic year, including a Capture the Flag events where students have the opportunity to engage in techniques not covered in the classroom. The organization largely focuses on engaging students in cyber-related events to best prepare the future of the cybersecurity workforce.

Club meeting times and locations will be announced at the start of the 2020 spring semester. For more information, contact Wagenseller at pwagense@asu.edu.

PwnDevils at Tempe campus

The Tempe campus’s PwnDevils is a hacking club dedicated to being the razor’s edge of the community. PwnDevils President Zion Basque challenges the team to become the top hacking groups in the world. The team consistently appears on behalf of the university in national and international Capture the Flag events. Above all, he invites students who will go the extra mile.

The Pwn Devils provides students with an intensive technical approach, focused in the cyber space. For these students, it’s more than just a hobby. It’s a way of life. Basque, a member since 2017, began hacking at the age of 12. For him, hacking is a part of himself.

“It's about understanding something so intimately that you have the power to change the bounds on what it was intended to do,” he said. This philosophy is why he encourages students to push themselves in the club.

Typically, this club meets on the second floor of the Brickyard Building, room 209, Tuesdays and Thursdays. With the upcoming semester, the club plans to maintain a similar schedule for the next year but will finalize an updated schedule as the spring semester begins.

To find out more information about the club you can visit their website.

DevilSec at Tempe campus

Students looking for a broader social environment might prefer Tempe’s other cyber club, DevilSec. This is a pen-testing center for Sun Devils. This club focuses on providing students with “industry level” experience. President and founder Allen Foust says he noticed a gap at ASU for cyber students. While cybersecurity is among the many concentrations offered at the university, he found that many of his peers were lacking critical technical skills when entering senior-level classes. Foust founded DevilSec as both a social club and a productive club providing valuable industry experience.

The DevilSec club meets each Friday evening at 4:15 pm at Artisan Court at the Brickyard, room 110. Prospective members may chat with members directly through Discord Chat. Otherwise, the DevilSec website ] provides additional information.

Cyber Security Devils at Polytechnic campus

Cyber Security Devils is the first club of its kind at the Polytechnic campus. While the club shares similar values and merits as the other three clubs, it stands out as it provides students with “Fun IT Events” and presentations from industry workers. Travis Cole, the president, founded the club with classmates to fill the cyber-void at the Polytechnic campus.

The Cyber Security Devils anticipate meeting bi-weekly on Wednesdays in the spring semester for one hour. Meetings are in the Student Union Ballroom at the Polytechnic campus. Cole encourages students from the other campuses to experience the fun atmosphere present with the Cyber Security Devils.

For more information visit their webpage or send an email to Cole at tacole2@asu.edu.

Additional clubs

There are several additional clubs that exist outside of the cyber-scope that may be of interest to cyber-curious students. These organizations include SunHacks, Software Developers Association (SODA), and CodeDevils. While these clubs do encourage students to participate in hack-a-thons, their main goal is to promote coding.