Southeastern student team excels in national cyber competition

A team of six Southeastern Louisiana University computer science students called Bruteforce Lions finished in the top 20 of the CyberForce Competition® in Illinois, competing against 99 other teams. The annual competition engages collegiate teams (4-6 students per team) in simulated energy cyber-focused scenarios centered on securing their operational technology.

“I am very proud of the Bruteforce Lions for their accomplishments throughout the years, and of course at this year’s CyberForce Competition®,” said Computer Science Assistant Professor Paulo Alexandre Regis. “All the credit goes to the team members, who worked together before the event to get ready for the competition. The fact that the team is a mix of graduate students, seniors and juniors, shows exemplary teamwork and is a good sign for the continuation of the team. Lion up!”

The competition is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s workforce development program that seeks to inspire and develop the next generation of cyber defenders for the energy sector through hands-on competitions, webinars, learning resources, and career fairs. It strives to raise awareness of the nexus between critical infrastructure and cybersecurity through competitions that:

• make critical thinking and soft skills key components
• focus on both OT and IT cyber skills
• value both individual and team balanced work
• emulate real-world energy scenarios, and
• build self-confidence and enhance cyber skills.

The Southeastern team narrowly missed a top ten finish, coming in at No. 11. Southeastern bested teams from much larger universities such as Texas A&M, Purdue University, Brigham Young University, and Loyola University Chicago. Team members are Nitesh Kumar Shah, Riyaj Chaulagain, and Sudhakar Chaulagain, all of Nepal, Christopher Walters of Covington, Joshua Cantu of French Settlement, and Wilson Bernard of Denham Springs.

Southeastern Computer Science students also recently won the “Best Use of Solana” track at HackNYU 2025 competition.