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University of Nebraska to host cybersecurity 'hackathon'

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska at Omaha will be hosting a 48-hour cybersecurity "hackathon" this coming weekend.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that participants will form teams to create and pitch proposals about enhancing the cybersecurity of physical systems to a panel of judges, including military officials from U.S. Strategic Command.

Teams will compete for $15,000 in prizes and the opportunity to pursue their plan with mentorship from MD5, a technology accelerator program launched by the Department of Defense and several universities.

Robin Gandhi is an associate professor of cybersecurity helping coordinate the hackathon. He says cybersecurity of physical systems is a growing field now that computers have linked up systems originally designed to stand alone. He says companies and military installations face issues with networks vulnerable to hacking.

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