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The Cybersecurity Competition Team of UMass

We are a group of students who are passionate about cybersecurity. Not just from sitting in lectures -- cybersecurity involves rolling up your sleeves and hacking through thickets of bad code, poor infrastructure, and malicious attackers. A great place to practice these skills is in the stimulating environment of a competition.

Founded in 2016, the UMass Pentest Club first competed in the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in the Spring of 2017. The Pentest Club gained access to a space in the LGRT for organizing practices, hosting donated machines, and to meet as peers and discuss cybersecurity topics. To reach a larger audience and carry on its spirit, the Pentest Club joined the Cybersecurity Club in 2020. The Cybersecurity Club continues to organize a team and practice for the CCDC each year.

We hope to keep expanding our community, including growing our CCDC team. We also compete in Capture the Flag events under the name of SavedByTheShell (coined by Pentest president Jake Quilty).

At the Cybersecurity Club, we practice cybersecurity by providing a safe outlet for people to gain hands-on experience.

Join the mailing list and chat on our discord to get involved.


Our Mission

This team was created with two main objectives. First, teach students about the defensive and offensive techniques used in industry and how to apply those techniques responsibly. Second, we recruit and train the UMass National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team.

Since then, we have also become active in CTFs to train our skills in ethical hacking tools and techniques.

By following these objectives, we learn how to work through challenges in the field of cybersecurity and prepare to work in the industry.


Contact Us

Join our Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/KRZDQTb

For questions or information, please email: umasscybersec [at] gmail [dot] com


Faculty Mentor

Prof. Amir Houmansadr (2019-Present)
Our current faculty mentor helps us with basic club functions and acts as our official representative.
Homepage: Link
Email: amir [at] cs.umass.edu

Prof. Brian Levine (2016-2019)
Brian, thank you for helping us launch our group.
And thank you for supporting the community with your research and educational impact.
Homepage: Link


Our Current Sponsors and Volunteers

  • AmherstWorks.io
    • Provided space for our first NECCDC Qualifiers
  • WWPass Corp.
    • Some sweet machines
  • Offensive Security
    • Two OSCP vouchers in the Fall of 2019

School Resources:

  • Cybersecurity Institute of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
    • Support this site and provide some funding
  • College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
    • For most of our funding, advertsing, and general support
  • Computer Science Computing Facility (CSCF)
    • Supplied our computers and take our IT and facilities requests
  • UMass Library IT
    • For our beautiful Optiplexes and monitors
  • School of Public Health & Health Sciences
    • Joseph Pasquini was really helpful as he transferred some gorgeous surplus machines, a monitor, a trackball mouse. He even carried them across the street with Lucas. Thanks for the help!
  • Students
    • They define our goals and carry them out.
      Think ahead and challenge the past. This world is moving fast.

Pentest Club founders in their space. They competed in UMass's first NECCDC event.