Duke clinches third place in second-annual Cyber Bowl, beating out rival schools

Duke earned a third-place finish in this year’s Cyber Bowl—a month-long competition that put cyber smarts to the test among eight universities across the state. More than 1,300 university students, faculty, and staff participated, comprising 4.34% of campus. 

See the final score.

The Cyber Bowl, held each October in celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, challenged participants to complete a five-question quiz on topics such as phishing, passwords, and malware for points. The prize: bragging rights. 

After placing last in last year’s competition, Duke entered this season seeking redemption—especially against reigning 2024 champs at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill—and delivered. Only 4.21 percent of UNC’s campus participated. The Blue Devils surged ahead of several larger universities, including North Carolina State (3.44 percent) and North Carolina A&T (3.08 percent). However, it was Winston-Salem State that clinched Cyber Bowl glory with 24.88 percent of its campus participating. 

With bragging rights secured and cybersecurity awareness strengthened, this year’s impressive finish underscores Duke’s school pride and growing commitment to digital safety.

Thank you to all who competed in the Cyber Bowl and helped strengthen cybersecurity awareness at Duke.