Oklahoma Cup – Cybersecurity Competition

What is Oklahoma Cup?

Oklahoma Cup is an invitational cybersecurity contest inspired by the AFA CyberPatriot competition. Designed specifically for Oklahoma teams, the Oklahoma Cup emphasizes real-world cybersecurity training and experience.

Each round challenges teams to fix security flaws, harden system settings, eliminate malware, and answer forensic questions. Participants will work with virtual machine images including:

Windows Desktop
Windows Server
Linux Desktop
Cisco Packet Tracer

Teams may have 2 to 6 members. Each round is open for a two-day period, and teams compete during a three-hour window at a time of their choosing. A live timer is embedded in each image.

When is the Competition?

Oct. 9^th – 11^th	Oklahoma Cup Round 1
Oct. 23^rd – 26^th	CyberPatriot Round 1
Nov. 6^th – 8^th	Oklahoma Cup Round 2
Nov. 13^th – 16^th	CyberPatriot Round 2
Dec. 4^th – 6^th	Oklahoma Cup Round 3
Dec. 11^th – 14^th	CyberPatriot State Round

Who Can Participate?

Any team located in Oklahoma with a designated coach is eligible to participate. This includes adult learners and post-secondary students who may not qualify for CyberPatriot.

Where Teams Compete

Teams compete remotely from their own schools or institutions. Virtual images will be available for early download so that coaches can prepare a competition environment ahead of time.

During competition, images report scores in real time to a live scoreboard where team members and coaches can track performance.

Hardware & Software Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Processor: 64-bit Intel i3 “Sandy Bridge” (2011 or newer) or AMD “Bulldozer” or better
Virtualization: VT-x or equivalent must be enabled in BIOS
RAM: Minimum 8 GB
Disk Space: Minimum 40 GB free space
Display: XGA (1280x768) or higher – 1280x1024 recommended

NOTE: Running multiple images on one host is not recommended. If attempted, higher specifications are required.

Some images will not work if virtualization technology is disabled in BIOS.

Software Requirements

Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10 (with updates after Oct 14, 2025) or Windows 11
Virtualization Software: VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.4 or later (Free for competition use)
File Extraction: 7-Zip (for unzipping images)
Checksum Validation: WinMD5 (used to verify image downloads)
Score Check Connection: CyberPatriot Competition System (CCS) Connection Test tool
Network Challenge: Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2.2 (Download from NetAcad.com)

Mac and Linux users may participate, but issues on those systems are not grounds for appeals. At least one Windows machine that meets specifications is strongly recommended.

Older versions of VMware Workstation Pro may be used at your own risk; issues caused by them are not eligible for support.

Network Requirements

OK Cup requires a DSL or faster internet connection. The most common network issue during competition is outbound traffic being blocked by school firewalls, filters, or proxy servers.

All participating teams must ensure that their competition systems have unrestricted outbound access to:

HTTP – Port 80
HTTPS – Port 443

These ports must be open to the competition servers to allow image scoring and communication with the live scoreboard. Coaches should coordinate with their IT departments to verify network readiness in advance.