Building a Virtual Cybersecurity Collaborative Learning Laboratory (VCCLL)

In fall 2013, the Maine Cybersecurity Cluster (MCSC), was invited to assist the United States Coast Guard with cybersecurity training. MCSC conducted training activities that created the conditions under which Coast Guard personnel could experience and respond to cyber attacks first-hand. A major result of this endeavor was the recognition of two critical needs: 1) the necessity for a flexible, learning laboratory to address the increased security requirements presented by the Internet of Things (IoT), and 2) the need for applied education and training for students going into information assurance professions. To fill these gaps, MCSC designed plans for the creation of a Virtual Cybersecurity Collaborative Learning Lab (VCCLL). The lab would operate inter-institutionally and offer innovative, hands-on, collaborative learning experiences aimed at preventing and mitigating cyber attacks in real time. This paper delineates the background, design, and benefits of the VCCLL

Experiences with Establishment of a Multi-University Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense

The National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in response to an unmet workforce need for cybersecurity program graduates, jointly sponsor a program by which a post-secondary education institution may achieve recognition as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD). The program identifies standards, criteria, and an evaluation process. Many individual institutions have achieved recognition. The University of Maine System, composed of seven universities, is the first multi-university entity to achieve the CAE IA/CD recognition. The purpose of this paper is to share the key challenges, opportunities, and experiences that contributed to this achievement, and offer recommendations