818 research outputs found
Paradigms for Cybersecurity Education in a Homeland Security Program
Cybersecurity threats to the nation are growing in intensity, frequency, and severity and are a very real threat to the security of the country. Academia has responded to a wide variety of homeland security (HS) threats to the nation by creating formal curricula in the field, although these programs almost exclusively focus on physical threats (e.g., terrorist attacks, and natural and man-made disasters), law and policy and transportation . Although cybersecurity programs are commonly available in U.S. colleges and universities, they are invariably offered as a technical course of study nested within engineering (or other STEM) programs. We observe that technical and calculus-based courses might not be well suited to HS students and do not necessarily meet a broad suite of professional needs in this discipline. As a result, cybersecurity principles, and strategies tend to be under-represented in the typical HS program. This paper proposes paradigms that could be included in a cybersecurity curriculum that are consistent with the broad array of outcomes now evident in many HS degree programs
Using journals to assess non-STEM student learning in STEM courses: A case study in cybersecurity education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers a minor course of study in cybersecurity as an option in our undergraduate Homeland Security program. Since the students are, by and large, social scientists, the focus of the program is to build hyper-awareness of how cybersecurity integrates within their professional aspirations rather than to provide cybersecurity career-level proficiency. Assessing student learning of the technical aspects cannot be performed using traditional tests, as they would not properly measure what the students are learning in a practical sense. Instead, we employ journals and self-reflection to ask the students to express and demonstrate their learning. Although somewhat harder to grade, the journals have huge benefits to the learning environment as well as to actual learning
Policies for Protecting Digital America and Critical Infrastructure Industries Against 21st-Century Cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are rapidly evolving into a more sophisticated means of assault against countries, organizations, and individuals. The rapidly growing capabilities of cyberattacks, which may be conducted by either domestic or foreign malicious actors, underscores the potential devastation to a targeted nationâs institutions and its people. These attacks can be deployed against critical industries to cripple a nationâs economy, infrastructure, and citizens. Such an attack against a foreign nation could represent an act of modern warfare that equivalates to the 20th-century use of nuclear weapons. Therefore, to combat the potentially devastating cyberattacks of the 21st century, the United States government must pursue cybersecurity policies to protect its critical infrastructure industries and national security. This study seeks to determine the most effective cybersecurity policy when comparing the implementation of a white-hat hacker U.S. task force, cybersecurity regulations on critical infrastructure industries, implementation of cybersecurity awareness curriculum in K-12 public schools, and the federal implementation of a digital consumer privacy protection law. Results show that significant cybersecurity regulations targeting critical infrastructure industries represent the best policy approach for protecting those industries. Keywords: Digital America, Cybersecurity, Cyberattack, Critical Infrastructure Industries DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/13-4-05 Publication date:June 30th 202
Cybersecurity Education: The need for a top-driven, multidisciplinary, school-wide approach
The human resource skills gap in cybersecurity has created an opportunity for educational institutions interested in cybersecurity education. The current number of schools designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency (NSA) as Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) to train cybersecurity experts are not sufficient to meet the shortfall in the industry. The DHS has clearly mapped out knowledge areas for cybersecurity education for both technical and non-technical disciplines; it is therefore possible for institutions not yet designated CAEs to generate cybersecurity experts, with the long-term goal of attaining the CAE designation. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for a top-driven, multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity education especially at schools that have not yet been designated as Centers for Academic Excellence. The paper also suggests a multi-faceted approach and the important considerations needed to achieve a successful cybersecurity educational program
Who\u27s In and Who\u27s Out?: What\u27s Important in the Cyber World?
The aim of this paper is to offer an introduction to the exploding field of cybersecurity by asking what are the most important concepts or topics that a new member of the field of cybersecurity should know. This paper explores this question from three perspectives: from the realm of business and how the cyber world is intertwined with modern commerce, including common weaknesses and recommendations, from the academic arena examining how cybersecurity is taught and how it should be taught in a classroom or laboratory environment, and lastly, from the authorâs personal experience with the cyber world. Included information includes scholarly journals, news sources, special interest books, academic curricula, and relevant experience. By blending together information procured from these three distinct environments, this paper proposes a number of the most important concepts and lessons that one should know as they begin their career, whether professional or academic, in the cyber world
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Columbia World Projects Cybersecurity Forum Report
It is precisely because of the indispensable role the Internet plays in our lives that disruptions to the systems, and networks that undergird them, can rapidly bring so much of what we do to a standstill, undermine our privacy and civil liberties, and even threaten our prosperity and national security. And of course, it is not just systems that are connected to the Internet that are vulnerable to digital attack â so too are standalone systems, networks, and programs. While it is difficult to measure the precise level of exposure in this realm, there is a clear consensus that cybersecurity is one of the most significant and complex challenges facing the world today. To give just a few examples, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence said cybersecurity is one of his âgreatest concerns and top priorities.â The U.S. Homeland Security Secretaryâs has assessed that cyberweapons and sophisticated hacking pose a greater threat to the United States than the risk of physical attacks. Freedom House concluded that digital disinformation tactics have contributed to a global decline in Internet freedom every year for the last seven years, and played an important role in elections in at least 18 countries from 2016 to 2017 alone. And estimates regarding the global economic impact of cyber attacks range from 2 trillion each year. So too is there is a growing recognition that technology solutions alone cannot address the many vulnerabilities and possible vectors of attack, but rather that behavioral, normative, regulatory, social, and other interventions will also be critical to building effective solutions. Yet, despite these high-level warnings and the fact that a fair amount of attention and resources have been devoted in the last several years to cybersecurity, the increasing sophistication of cyber threats continues to outpace progress, as does the number of attacks, particularly in the United States and in Europe.
It was with this understanding â that current efforts to address cybersecurity are insufficient â that participants in the Columbia World Projects (CWP) Forum on Cybersecurity began their opening plenary discussion. Approximately 35 experts with a range of different substantive and institutional perspectives shared their views on the nature of the threat, key vulnerabilities, and the particularly intractable challenges associated with addressing them. This discussion provided critical context for the concrete project proposals taken up later in the working groups (Section II), and helped inform the selection of projects meriting further development by CWP (Section III)
Implementing Cybersecurity into the Wisconsin K-12 Classroom
Cybersecurity is a field that has seen its workforce demands rising steadily throughout the past decade. Although the Wisconsin Department of Administration has been actively encouraging collaboration efforts between the public and private sectors and promoting cybersecurity as a promising career path, the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to be greater than the supply, which is a trend noticed also nationwide. The state of Wisconsin is facing several challenges in attempting to promote cybersecurity including limited security curricula resources, lack of programs and other initiatives that promote security principles, and lack of awareness of cybersecurity risks. In this paper, we discuss the major challenges Wisconsin is facing towards establishing proper cyber hygiene for the general population and growing the cybersecurity work force. In addition, we suggest ways to overcome or lessen the effect of the identified issues
The Effect of Cybersecurity Training on Government Employeeâs Knowledge of Cybersecurity Issues and Practices
There is an ever-pressing need for cybersecurity awareness and implementation of learning strategies in the workplace to mitigate the increased threat posed by cyber-attacks and exacerbated by an untrained workforce. The lack of cybersecurity knowledge amongst government employees has increased to critical levels due to the amount of sensitive information their agencies are responsible for. The digital compromise of a government entity often leads to a compromise of constituent data along with the disruption of public services (Axelrod, 2019; Yazdanpanahi, 2021). The need for awareness is further complicated by agencies looking to cater to a digital culture looking for a balance in government transparency and access by providing more services online. This act of modernizing services for a connected constituency adds further risk to the agency by exposing its workforce to threats associated with the internet-connected world. If their workforce is not prepared for the tactics used by cybercriminals, the consequences can be both fiscally and politically reprehensible. This study considers the knowledge enhancements resulting from the incorporation of cybersecurity training for local government employees in South Texas and the potential effects it will have on the cybersecurity awareness of the population. This study requires the collection and analysis of the following archival data: the results of a state-mandated cybersecurity awareness training and Cybersecurity Awareness Survey, which was adapted from the Pew Research Centerâs (2016) Cybersecurity Knowledge Quiz. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of a cybersecurity awareness training program on government employeesâ knowledge of cybersecurity issues and their ability to mitigate cybersecurity threats
A national certification programme for academic degrees in cyber security
With a growing need for cyber security skills, there has been a notable increase in the number of academic degrees targeting this topic area, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. However, with a widening and varied choice available to them, prospective students and employers require a means to identify academic degrees that offer appropriate and high-quality education in the subject area. This paper presents a case study of the establishment and operation of a certification programme for academic degrees in cyber security. It describes the means by which appropriate topic themes and subject areas for relevant degrees were identified and defined, leading to a certification programme that addresses degrees in general cyber security as well as notable specialisations including digital forensics and network security. The success of the programme is evidenced by 25 degrees across 19 universities having been certified to date, and a continued response to new calls for certification
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