11,136 research outputs found

    Observations, Evaluations, and Recommendations for DETERLab from an Educational Perspective

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    DETERLab is a cluster environment that provides a set of virtual machines that can be used by researchers and teachers to run cybersecurity experiments and competitions, and where it is possible to deploy different network configurations to research attack and defense mechanisms in the cyber world. While we were working to develop a pathway for producing more usable and effective cybersecurity educational resources by investigating and examining several projects, we examined DETERLab as a prospective platform to use in the classroom. Throughout our experimentation, we faced challenges that we decided to document in order to help other educators use the environment effectively. In this article, we reflect on the application process, available resources, getting started, and running experiments. We also include an analysis of experiments that have a step-by-step guide, sample solution, grading criteria, network diagram, and teacher manual. In addition, we reflect on the environment for usage in a classroom setting and list all available materials as of the time of writing this article. We believe that DETERLab has the potential to be widely adopted in cybersecurity courses to develop the necessary skills if the key user experience and technical challenges mentioned in this article are addressed. As part of our future work, the findings in this article will be compared to other projects in a much larger research study aiming to develop a pathway for producing more usable and effective cybersecurity educational resources

    Preparation Matters: A Quantitative Examination of Faculty Active Shooter Preparedness

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    In recent years, the occurrence of active shooter incidents has become more prevalent within the United States. Since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, there has been an increase in active shooter incidents at institutions of higher learning (IHLs). Educational settings have been identified by the FBI as the second most common place for active shooter incidents to occur. As a result, there has become an increased need for administrators at IHLs to create and maintain cultures of preparedness that include effective active shooter training. In this research study, Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory was used as a framework to explore faculty active shooter preparedness. A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine the environmental factors, behaviors, and personal and cognitive factors that contributed to faculty active shooter preparedness. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit participants for this study. This study was conducted in May of 2018. Participants completed the Faculty Active Shooter Preparedness Survey (FASPS) online. Findings from the FASPS revealed that only 57% of the respondents received active shooter training from their institution. In conjunction with that, about half of the respondents perceived themselves as being prepared for active shooter incidents on campus. Additionally, findings revealed that active shooter training at IHLs was limited to discussion-based training exercises and operations-based training exercises were rarely conducted. As a result, there is a need to improve the active shooter preparation efforts among IHLs, so that all faculty are prepared for the onset of an active shooter incident on campus. There is also a need to ensure that active shooter preparation efforts align with the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s active shooter preparation recommendations

    Teaching Cybersecurity Using the Cloud

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    Cloud computing platforms can be highly attractive to conduct course assignments and empower students with valuable and indispensable hands-on experience. In particular, the cloud can offer teaching staff and students (whether local or remote) on-demand, elastic, dedicated, isolated, (virtually) unlimited, and easily configurable virtual machines. As such, employing cloud-based laboratories can have clear advantages over using classical ones, which impose major hindrances against fulfilling pedagogical objectives and do not scale well when the number of students and distant university campuses grows up. We show how the cloud paradigm can be leveraged to teach a cybersecurity course. Specifically, we share our experience when using cloud computing to teach a senior course on cybersecurity across two campuses via a virtual classroom equipped with live audio and video. Furthermore, based on this teaching experience, we propose guidelines that can be applied to teach similar computer science and engineering courses. We demonstrate how cloud-based laboratory exercises can greatly help students in acquiring crucial cybersecurity skills as well as cloud computing ones, which are in high demand nowadays. The cloud we used for this course was the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud. However, our presented use cases and approaches are equally applicable to other available cloud platforms such as Rackspace and Google Compute Engine, among others

    A gentle transition from Java programming to Web Services using XML-RPC

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    Exposing students to leading edge vocational areas of relevance such as Web Services can be difficult. We show a lightweight approach by embedding a key component of Web Services within a Level 3 BSc module in Distributed Computing. We present a ready to use collection of lecture slides and student activities based on XML-RPC. In addition we show that this material addresses the central topics in the context of web services as identified by Draganova (2003)

    Lessons Learned From Complex Hands-on Defence Exercises in a Cyber Range

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    We need more skilled cybersecurity professionals because the number of cyber threats and ingenuity of attackers is ever growing. Knowledge and skills required for cyber defence can be developed and exercised by lectures and lab sessions, or by active learning, which is seen as a promising and attractive alternative. In this paper, we present experience gained from the preparation and execution of cyber defence exercises involving various participants in a cyber range. The exercises follow a Red vs. Blue team format, in which the Red team conducts malicious activities against emulated networks and systems that have to be defended by Blue teams of learners. Although this exercise format is popular and used worldwide by numerous organizers in practice, it has been sparsely researched. We contribute to the topic by describing the general exercise life cycle, covering the exercise's development, dry run, execution, evaluation, and repetition. Each phase brings several challenges that exercise organizers have to deal with. We present lessons learned that can help organizers to prepare, run and repeat successful events systematically, with lower effort and costs, and avoid a trial-and-error approach that is often used

    MILO: Models of innovation in learning online at Key Stage 3 and 14-19: Final report

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    The report presents and analyses eight case studies, which reflect a wide range of models of online learning, each of which has been developed for specific reasons, largely in relation to visions of how technology can transform learning, but also to solve practical problems such as re-engaging disaffected learners and coping with rising pupil numbers

    Demonstrating Operating System Principles via Computer Forensics Exercises

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    We explore the feasibility of sparking student curiosity and interest in the core required MIS operating systems course through inclusion of computer forensics exercises into the course. Students were presented with two in-class exercises. Each exercise demonstrated an aspect of the operating system, and each exercise was written as a computer forensics investigation. Students were asked to indicate their perception of the practicality of the course material before and after completing the exercises. Based upon a t-test, we conclude that students find the course material to be of greater practical significance when course materials are linked to forensics topics

    Teaching and learning online with wikis

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    Wikis are fully editable websites; any user can read or add content to a wiki site. This functionality means that wikis are an excellent tool for collaboration in an online environment. This paper presents wikis as a useful tool for facilitating online education. Basic wiki functionality is outlined and different wikis are reviewed to highlight the features that make them a valuable technology for teaching and learning online. Finally, the paper discuses a wiki project underway at Deakin University. This project uses a wiki to host an icebreaker exercise which aims to facilitate ongoing interaction between members of online learning groups. Wiki projects undertaken in America are outlined and future wiki research plans are also discussed. These wiki projects illustrate how e-learning practitioners can and are moving beyond their comfort zone by using wikis to enhance the process of teaching and learning online.<br /

    Expanding the paradigm: countering violent extremism in Britain and the need for a youth centric community based approach

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    In recent years, both academics and politicians alike have struggled to develop a coherent strategy on how to hone in the threat posed by Islamic extremists at home and abroad. This issue has taken center stage in recent months with the emergence of the Islamic State (IS). This article will explore the UK’s experience with trying to contain Islamic extremism, focusing particularly on the role youth development may play in future endeavors.Publisher PD

    Security for CLP

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    Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-44).This MENG thesis implements a security system for a classroom presentation system called the Classroom Learning Partner (CLP). The goal of the security system is to prevent cheating on electronic quizzes. CLP is a system that uses Tablet PCs in the classroom to enhance learning and encourage interaction between the instructor and students. The instructor creates exercises which are displayed on slides on the students' Tablet PCs. The students complete the exercises and submit them to the instructor and to a central database. The security implementation makes it possible to extend this framework for electronic quiz administration. This thesis discusses current cheating prevention methodologies and extends them to account for electronic quiz-taking scenarios. The basis of the security system is SQL Server authentication for authentication to a central database, and SSL for encryption of network traffic.by Karin Iancu.M.Eng
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