818 research outputs found

    Paradigms for Cybersecurity Education in a Homeland Security Program

    Get PDF
    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

    Get PDF
    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

    Get PDF
    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 nation’s institutions and its people. These attacks can be deployed against critical industries to cripple a nation’s 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

    Get PDF
    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?

    Get PDF
    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 author’s 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

    Implementing Cybersecurity into the Wisconsin K-12 Classroom

    Get PDF
    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 Employee’s Knowledge of Cybersecurity Issues and Practices

    Get PDF
    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 Center’s (2016) Cybersecurity Knowledge Quiz. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of a cybersecurity awareness training program on government employees’ knowledge of cybersecurity issues and their ability to mitigate cybersecurity threats

    Cyber Security Concerns for Emergency Management

    Get PDF

    A national certification programme for academic degrees in cyber security

    Get PDF
    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
    • 

    corecore