Temple University Social Engineering Competition (SEC 2027) - Registration Open!
Free, virtual, team-based competition with $15,000 in prizes. Register by Monday, December 7th, 2026 at 12 PM ET
Overview
Registration is open for the Temple University CARE Lab 7th Annual Social Engineering Competition (SEC 2027), shared through the CAE (Centers of Academic Excellence) in Cybersecurity Community. It’s free, 100% virtual, and open to students from all disciplines, so you don’t have to be a computer science or cybersecurity major to compete. There’s $15,000 in prizes across three tracks!
This year’s theme is AI, human behavior, and cyber deception. Teams work through a simulated scenario at a fictional medical production facility, looking at how social engineering can expose weaknesses in organizations that rely on connected digital and physical systems. Competitors use:
- OSINT (open source intelligence) on the simulated organization and its employees
- Impersonation, using fictional personas and pretexts
- AI voice cloning of fictional employees
- Vishing (voice phishing), simulated
Teams then debrief the simulated “client” on what they found and recommend how to improve its security. Everything is done in a controlled, ethical simulation. No real people or organizations are targeted.
Event Details
Registration: Open now through Monday, December 7th, 2026 at 12 PM ET (10 AM Denver time)
Competition tracks (January 2027):
- Graduate: January 15–17
- Undergraduate: January 22–24
- High school: January 29–31
Where: Virtual / remote
Teams: 2 to 4 members, no solo entries. Teammates can come from different schools, but all must be at the same level (e.g., all undergrads).
Cost: Free!
Prizes: In each track, 1st place gets $3,500, 2nd place $1,000, and 3rd place $500.
An information session is tentatively planned for January 9th, 2027, and a closing ceremony for February 10th, 2027.
Register
Register here: SEC 2027 Registration
More information:
Registration requires code of conduct forms (team members and advisors), a media consent waiver, and parental consent for anyone under 18. If your team needs a faculty advisor, or you want to compete and are looking for teammates, email Nate or CRISP.
Interested?
If you’re already a student at DU, join the DUCC (DU Cyber Club) slack channel for updates CS@DU Slack, or check out the DU Cyber Club website. You’ll have to join our CS@DU slack workspace first, then join the DUCC channel. Email us if you have any issues!
If you’re not already a student at DU, but are interested in learning more, Email us about the courses and programs at the University of Denver, browse this site, or check out the University of Denver Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science main site for more info!
Nathan S. Evans
Teaching Associate Professor, Academic Director for Cyber Security, Computer Science Chair, University of Denver
Research includes networking, network security, software security and systems.