6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 The cryptocurrency market is screaming. In the early morning hours, unknown hackers attacked a cryptocurrency exchange’s servers, possibly stealing at least $2 billion worth of currency. Currency holders begin pulling their assets en masse from this and other exchanges, with politicians decrying the attack and demanding more regulation of the emerging industry. The extent of the attack on financial markets remains to be seen, while many wonder if this is an act of terrorism from foreign adversaries or just an isolated group of hackers. What should the United States government do to respond to this situation? Nothing, because this is a fictional scenario. But, with cryptocurrency now a trillion-dollar global market, such a crisis is a very real possibility, and it requires people who will know how to respond and even prevent it in the first place. From Nov. 7-8, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey hosted the Atlantic Council’s Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. It marked the first time the competition has been held on the West Coast, which has seen thousands of students from around the world participating in events since its inception in 2012. In the competition, teams of university students take on the role of policy advisors tasked with responding to a cybersecurity threat. After reading a fictional “intelligence report” filled with emails, news articles and more, they need to come up with a plan that they will then present to a team of judges, role-playing as a federal national security committee. In real life, the judges come from a variety of backgrounds, from current tech company employees to retired Department of Homeland Security and Central Intelligence Agency officials. In one room on the Monterey campus, a team of four MIIS students recommended that the U.S. government establish a cryptocurrency advisory unit that helps guide policymakers in making informed decisions on how to respond to the situation. Answering a question from a judge, the team suspected the attack came from North Korea, having received reports of the country developing a communications facility. The team was part of 21 others from 14 universities who descended onto MIIS for the competition, representing colleges such as Stanford University, U.S. Military Academy, Carnegie Mellon University, Patrick Henry College and more. Jake Lopata, a graduate student at MIIS, organized the competition with his professors and others to bring it to Monterey. Having participated in the challenge before, Lopata says he knew of many local students who wanted to compete, but didn’t have the time or financial means to travel to another country or state. The competition is a good way for students to get a taste of the intense cybersecurity world that they’ve been studying for, putting their skills to the test. “The way this competition is set up, the students have to deal with uncertainty,” Lopata says. “There’s no right answer. You have to make a series of trade-offs.” The two-day competition opened with a keynote speech by Jacquelyn Schneider, the director of the Hoover Wargaming and Crisis Simulation Initiative at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, reflecting on the evolving role of the government in cyberspace. Being a relatively new frontier, Schneider said there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the government’s position in cyberspace, as that uncertainty plays an influential factor in the teams’ decisions in the competition. Philipp Bleek, professor and co-coordinator of the Cyber Collaborative at MIIS, encouraged the students to network with each other and share ideas that will help them grow in their studies and future careers. Plus, it’s all taking place in one of the most unique locations in the country, and Bleek encouraged visitors to take advantage of it. “The Pacific Ocean is literally a couple of blocks away,” he said. “I don’t want you to blow off the competition, but I would be a little sad if you didn’t get a taste of Monterey.” Keyboard Warriors Cybersecurity students put their skills to the test at a global competition in Monterey. By Erik Chalhoub “There’s no right answer. You have to make trade-offs.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Cybersecurity expert Jacquelyn Schneider speaks to students competing in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, touching on the U.S. government’s cyberspace strategy. “I think it’s a giant question mark on where we go in the future,” she said. 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