Students Win International Cybercrime Competition

A team of University of Scranton students recently placed first among a field of international competitors in a cybercrime investigation challenge in Europe.

Nine University of Scranton students participated in a study abroad program in Spain, which provided an exploration of the country’s criminal justice and security systems and admission into the 2025 White Hat Conference. This year’s conference theme — held June 9-11 at the University of León, Spain — was “AI, Cybercrime and Cyber Defense.”

The University’s first-place team was comprised of James Andres, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Surprise, Arizona; Michael O’Donnell, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Old Lyme, Connecticut; and Leah Schneider, a criminal justice major from Middle Village, New York.

Scranton’s three-person team made history. In six years of the White Hat Conference, it was the first U.S. team to place first in the cybercrime investigation capture-the-flag (CTF) challenge that included student and practitioner teams.

The full roster of participating Scranton students:

James Andres, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Surprise, Arizona

Johnathan Fisher, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Moscow

Ryan Gaudioso, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Massapequa, New York

Alyzia Malibu Hiraldo, a criminal justice major from New York, New York

John Mahoney, a criminal justice major from Rockaway Point, New York

Meghan McDonnell, a criminal justice major from Old Forge

Michael O'Donnell, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Old Lyme, Connecticut

Erin Ryan, a mechanical engineering major from Scotch Plains, New York

Leah Schneider, a criminal justice major from Middle Village, New York

The conference and competition were sponsored by Boston University’s Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity (CIC) in partnership with the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE). The CTF challenge was a web security exercise that tasked participants with finding hidden pieces of text or code.

Through the course of the events, led by Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology professors Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., and Sinchul Back, Ph.D., the students visited several key institutions, gaining a comprehensive understanding of Spain’s criminal justice and national security systems. In addition to hearing from internationally regarded researchers, lawyers and practitioners, students visited the National Police Central Cybercrime Unit, the Constitutional Court, Lazarus (a private cybersecurity firm) and the INCIBE and had opportunities to participate in various cultural events in Madrid.