A Systematic Literature Review on Cybersecurity Education: Trends, Challenges, and the Role of AI

Abstract

Cybersecurity education has become a crucial area of focus as cyber threats continue to evolve rapidly. This study presents a systematic literature review exploring the current trends, challenges, and advancements in cybersecurity education, with a particular emphasis on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity competitions. To ensure a comprehensive analysis, we retrieved more than 500 articles from Scopus, of which over 298 were identified as directly relevant to our study. Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, cyber ranges, and other hands on learning environments have emerged as essential tools for bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical cybersecurity skills. However, challenges such as scalability, accessibility, and real-time skill assessment persist. AI is increasingly being integrated into these competitions to enhance personalized learning, automate challenge generation, and provide intelligent feedback to participants. This review examines how AI-driven methodologies contribute to improving cybersecurity education by offering adaptive learning experiences, optimizing competition structures, and facilitating real-time performance evaluation. By synthesizing insights from recent research, this study identifies existing gaps and proposes future directions for leveraging AI in cybersecurity competitions to better equip students for real-world cyber defense scenarios.