Center for Cyber Security Education
Request InformationDemonstrating our commitment to providing high-quality education in professionally relevant fields, Walden University has been designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through academic year 2024.
This designation means that our BSIT program meets the NSA and the DHS standards of quality and relevance in the information assurance (IA) and cyber defense (CD) disciplines. Our program’s stringent academic criteria reaffirms our commitment to excellence in the fields of IA and CD education.
Our fully online information assurance and security programs are available at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
- Cyber Security And Forensics: BS in Information Technology
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Dr. Bob Duhainy, PhD
PhD, Walden University; MS, BS Southern Methodist UniversityDr. Duhainy is a Core faculty of Computer Networks and Cyber security at the College of Management and Technology at Walden University, director of the center of Cyber security Education, and a dissertation chair at the Doctor of Information Technology program. For his Ph.D. dissertation, he has worked on developing the most effective approach for deploying a context- and location-aware network, which is particularly important to the U.S. government as it will allow hands-off processing and the tracking of medical supplies and weaponry. His research focused on RFID deployment methods, minimizing the required number of passive and active tags, and the power requirements needed to operate the networks. His research work includes using software agents to safe guard computer networks from attack. He is also involved in various security-related research projects, Virtual Reality Interoperability and Security, Multi Factor Authentication, Radio Waves Interference, Nefarious Code Detection, and System Vulnerabilities and Assessments. He is a member of the IEEE, ACM , ISC2 Cisco Networking Academy, AFCEA, NICE, CISSE and NIST. Dr. Duhainy has been an active member of the InfraGard-Boston chapters. He was trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) on various topics, and actively serves as a state and local government groups on cybersecurity topics. He is also a frequent invited as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on cybersecurity topics.
Dr. Duhainy’s teaching interest and courses taught at the Master’s and Doctoral levels include Ethical Hacking tools and incident handling techniques, legal issues in Cybercrime, Operating System and Network Architecture, Fundamentals of Information Assurance, Telecommunications and Networking, Information Assurance and Risk Management, Information and Systems Security, Computer Law, Crime, and Investigation, Information Security Governance, Seminar in Information Security, Development of Proactive and Reactive Security Plans.
Bob Duhainy, PhD
Core Faculty,
School of Technology and Applied Science
Doctor of Information Technology (DIT)
Walden University
100 Washington Avenue South, Suite 1210
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Tel: 1-866-492-5336
Bo[email protected] -
Welcome to the Codebreaker Challenge!
To get started, register for an account using your email address. Then, visit the Challenge page.
OVERVIEW
The Codebreaker Challenge consists of a series of tasks that are worth a varying amount of points based upon their difficulty. All tasks will become available immediately once the Challenge goes live and can be solved in any order, though there may be some dependencies between tasks. The point value associated with each task is based on relative difficulty and schools will be ranked according to the total number of points accumulated by their students. It is still recommended to solve tasks in order since the tasks flow with the storyline, but that is not a requirement. Solutions may be submitted at any time for the duration of the Challenge. Good luck!
BACKGROUND
DISCLAIMER - The following is a FICTITIOUS story meant for providing realistic context for the Codebreaker Challenge and is not tied in any way to actual events.
Tech savvy terrorists have developed a new suite of communication tools to use for attack planning purposes. Their most recent creation — TerrorTime — is a secure mobile chat application that runs on Android devices. This program is of particular interest since recent intelligence suggests the majority of their communications are happening via this app. Your mission is to reverse-engineer and develop new exploitation capabilities to help discover and thwart future attacks before they happen. There are 7 tasks of increasing difficulty that you will be working through as part of this challenge. Ultimately, you will be developing capabilities that will enable the following:
- Spoof TerrorTime messages
- Masquerade (i.e., authenticate) as TerrorTime users without knowledge of their credentials
- Decrypt TerrorTime chat messages
NICE Challenge Project
We bring students the workforce experience before the workforce.
The NICE Challenge Project develops real-world cybersecurity challenges within virtualized business environments that bring students the workforce experience before the workforce. Our goal is to provide the most realistic experiences to students, at-scale year-round, while also generating useful assessment data about their knowledge, skills, and abilities for educators.
What is a NICE Challenge?
Each NICE Challenge has the following core elements: a narrative-driven scenario, a business environment (workspace), and a set of technical objectives and/or a written deliverable. Each of these elements is developed to immerse the player (student) in a real-world experience and create a valuable set of data allowing their curator (educator) to judge their readiness for the workforce.
There are currently two different types of NICE Challenges, technical and hybrid, which focus on different parts of the cybersecurity workforce.
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Walden Faculty Presentations
Cheng, P., Dimopoulos, C., and Case, S. (2018). Remote Robotic Experimentation: An Evaluation of Intention to Use by High School Teachers in Cyprus, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, March 15–17, 2018, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
Griffith, G. L. (July 2017). Colleges and Faculty New to Cyber Security: National Cyberwatch Programs at Walden University. Presented at the Community College Cybersecurity Summit, 3CS, Cyber Security Summit. National Harbor, MD.
Burchell, J. (March 2017). Demystifying the Proposal. Presentation at the 2017 International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies. Washington, D.C.
Carpenter, D.A., & Cunningham, M. (2017). Effectiveness of Automation Tools on Commercial Greenhouse Operations: A Computer-Based Simulation Study. MBAA International Conference in March 2017. Chicago, IL.
Burnett, S. & Burchell, J. (2017). Social Media at a Postsecondary Campus: A Needs Analysis. Paper presented at the International Conference on Learning and Administration in Higher Education. Nashville, TN.
Duhainy, R (2017). Mobile Security, A US Intelligence Dilemma, The Colloquium for Information System Security Education (CISSE) Proceedings of the 21th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Duhainy, R (2016). Internet Traffic Analysis, Implications to Homeland Security, The Colloquium for Information System Security Education (CISSE) Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Burnett, S., Justice, J., & Burchell, J. (2016). A Needs Analysis of Social Media in a Post-Secondary Institution in Southern Tennessee. Paper presented at the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies. Washington, D.C.
Casas, A. (2016). Why Financial Planning Informatics? Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Academy for Financial Services. Las Vegas, NV.
Perez, T. (June 2016). Municipal E‐Government Security: An Analysis of the Current Research Landscape. Paper presented at the 20th Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education, Philadelphia, PA.
Pumphrey, D. & Carpenter, D. A. (2016). Benefits plan implementation: An ethical dilemma. Society for Case Research Annual Conference. Chicago, IL.
Walden Faculty Publications
Casas, A. (2018). Information Technology Update for the Financial Planning Profession. Journal of Financial Planning. 31(3)
Dover-Harris, S. & Burchell, J. (2017). Performance Evaluation: An Analysis of Performance Review Measures Using the European Foundation for Quality Management Model. Management, 7(3).p.118–125. doi: 10.5923/j.mm.20170703.03
Pavari, A., Strider, S., Burchell, J., & Ready, J. (2017). Selection and Promotion of Nursing Leaders Based on Multiple Intelligences. Human Resource Management Research, 7(1). doi: 10.5923/j.hrmr.20170701.01
Pumphrey, D., & Carpenter, D. (2017). Benefits plan implementation: An IT Ethical Dilemma. Journal of Critical Incidents, 10. 16, 56–58
Nader Jafari, Abeer Alsadoon, Chandana Prasad Withana, Azam Beg, and Amr Elchouemi, (2016). Designing a Comprehensive Security Framework for Smartphones and Mobile Devices. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp. 724–734.
Zayed, K., and Harkiolakis, N. (2016). ‘Information Security Awareness: Managing Web, Mobile & Endpoint Security; Overcoming the Challenges of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)’, IJTCS
Pabst, B; Casas, A; Ravi, C. (2016). Empirical Lessons from Failure of ERP Systems in Small and Medium Businesses. Southern Business and Economic Journal. 39 (1)
Cybercrime Prevention in the Kingdom of Bahrain via IT security Audit Plans.
Authors: Almadhoob, A., Valverde, R.
Source: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 65(1), 274–292. (2014).
https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/978763/1/30Vol65No1.pdf
The Effectiveness of COBIT 5 Information Security Framework for Reducing Cyber Attacks on Supply Chain Management System.
Authors: Wolden, M., Valverde, R., Talla, M.
Source: IFAC-PapersOnLine, 48(3), 1846–1852. (2015).
Cybersecurity Skills Fuels Workforce Shortage
Author: Duhainy, Bob
https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/feature/Lack-of-cybersecurity-skills-fuels-workforce-shortage
Registered Walden students have further access to cybersecurity related news and RSS feeds through the Walden University library.
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CAE Executive Leadership Forum (CANCELED)
Chicago, IL | May 19-21, 2020
In 2017, the United States employed nearly 780,000 individuals in cybersecurity-related positions, leaving 350,000 positions unfilled. By 2021, researchers estimate there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally.
The critical job shortage is one issue executive leadership from academia, industry and government will address at the 2020 Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Executive Leadership Forum (ELF). Participants will learn about national initiatives and network with peers to delve into cybersecurity education and workforce development.
The forum is hosted by Moraine Valley Community College in collaboration with Dakota State University and in partnership with the NSA/DHS Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Program.
2020 Advancing Cybersecurity Risk Management Conference (CANCELED)
Gaithersburg, MD | May 27-28, 2020
The 2020 Advancing Cybersecurity Risk Management Conference is a continuation of the annual Cybersecurity Framework Workshops, and we’ve added even more topics and stakeholder groups associated with NIST projects:
- Risk Management Framework
- Supply Chain Risk Management
- Privacy Engineering
Women in Information Technology International (WITI) Virtual Summit
June 23-24, 2020
WITI (Women in Technology International) is committed to empowering innovators, inspiring future generations and building inclusive cultures. A leading authority of women in tech and business, WITI has been advocating and recognizing women's contributions in the industry for more than 30 years. The organization delivers leading edge programs and platforms for individuals and companies — designed to empower professionals, boost competitiveness and cultivate partnerships, globally. Our ecosystem includes more than 3 million professionals, 60 networks and 300 partners, worldwide.
NY Metro InfraGard Members Alliance & LIFARS Present: Cyber Threats In The Time Of COVID-19
Virtual | July 21, 2020, 4:00PM – 5:00 PM ET
From Ransomware to Nation States, what are we seeing, and how do we stop it?
Please join us on Tuesday, July 21st from 4-5pm as we discuss:- Case Studies of Recent Cyber Attacks
- Examine the increase in frequency
- Analysis of the Industry Vertical and Company Size that have been affected
- Understanding the IOC's and TTP's that have been observed
- Keys to preparation given the most recent style and frequency of Cyber Attacks
CAE VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR 2020
Virtual | September 4, 2020
The Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cybersecurity Community is hosting the fourth annual CAE Virtual Career Fair (VCF), sponsored by NCyTE and the National Science Foundation (NSF), on September 4, 2020, from 9:00am-1:00pm PT. Our virtual career fair is unique in that we invite students/alumni from 300+ institutions designated as CAEs in Research (CAE-R), Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), and Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) to participate. Institutions receive the CAE in Cybersecurity designation after meeting the rigorous requirements of the program set forth by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The standards set forth by the NSA/DHS curriculum guidelines also ensure students from CAE institutions receive a quality cybersecurity education that prepares them for a career the cyber workforce.
Intelligence and National Security Summit 2020
Virtual | September 16-18, 2020
The nation's premier intelligence and national security conference. Taking place Sept 16-18, the 2020 Intelligence and National Security Summit features powerful plenaries with senior IC leaders, engaging breakout sessions with top industry, academic, and government experts, and a virtual exhibit hall where you can learn about the latest technology innovations.
Join 2,000+ of your IC and national security colleagues at this can't miss virtual event!
NICE Conference and Expo 2020
Virtual | November 16-18, 2020
The annual NICE Conference and Expo brings together thought leaders from industry, government, academia, and non-profit organizations to address the community's cybersecurity education, training, and workforce needs. This event provides an opportunity to share best practices from around the world and across sectors in order to build the workforce we need to confront cybersecurity risks today and in years to come.
This year’s conference, hosted by Florida International University and New America will host over 30 presentations, 40 professional exhibitors, and a projected 800+ attendees.
CAE IN Cybersecurity Symposium
Virtual | November 19-20, 2020
Please join us for the annual CAE in Cybersecurity Symposium on November 19-20, 2020. The CAE in Cybersecurity Symposium provides community members and applicants the opportunity to network, receive community updates, and present their research to the community. The symposium is open to all existing Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), Centers of Academic Excellence in Research (CAE-R), and Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO), as well as government representatives and invitees. Registration is also open to institutions that have applied for CAE designation or are in the process of applying.
Attending the event is free, but registration is required in advance to gain access to the conference. Onsite registration is discouraged as you will not be eligible for travel assistance. The CAE-C Program Office approves each registration. Therefore, to make sure you are authorized to attend, register by November 12th, 2020.
3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY SUMMIT
Virtual | Weekly Events at 2:00pm ET
- Wednesday, September 16: Key Cyber Insights
- Wednesday, September 23: Leading the Digital Transformation
- Wednesday, September 30: Diversity in Cybersecurity
- Wednesday, October 7: Defending our Democracy
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is hosting the 3rd Annual National Cybersecurity Summit. The Cybersummit will bring together stakeholders from across the country for a four-week series focused on CISA’s mission to “Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow” with presentations from targeted leaders across government, academia, and industry.
The Cybersummit is intended to be an inclusive event and will be particularly valuable for senior leaders, CISOs, general counsels, and policy experts at public and private sector organizations who have shown a commitment to advancing cybersecurity and risk management discussions.
This is a no-cost event but pre-registration is required.
2020 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference
Virtual | December 7-8, 2020
The 2020 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference will feature timely and thought-provoking presentations that highlight effective collaborations, bold experiments and innovations, and other potentially game-changing methods in support of growing the cybersecurity workforce. Attendees will include training and educational leaders from academia, business, and government for two days of focused hands-on workshops and discussions in support of the NICE strategic goals: accelerate learning and skills development, nurture a diverse learning community, and guide career development and workforce planning.
This year’s conference, hosted by iKeepSafe, will host over 50 presentations, 35 professional exhibitors, and a projected 450+ attendees.
2021 COMMUNITY COLLEGE CYBER SUMMIT (3CSv)
Virtual | March 1, 2021
3CSv is organized and produced by the National CyberWatch Center, National Resource Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA), CyberWatch West (CWW), and Broadening Advanced Technological Education Connections (BATEC), which are all funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The outcomes of 3CSv leverage community college cybersecurity programs across the nation by introducing the latest technologies, best practices, curricula, products, and more.
2021 NATIONAL CYBER SUMMIT
Jun 8-10, 2021
The National Cyber Summit is the nation’s most innovative cyber security-technology event, offering unique educational, collaborative and workforce development opportunities for industry visionaries and rising leaders. Our core focus is on two things: accessibility and connectivity.
CISSE COLLOQUIUM 2021
June 2021
As we draw closer to the quarter-century mark, the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE) continues to provide the sole forum in which the members of the academic field of cybersecurity gather to present and discuss emerging trends and ideas. Our government and industry partners join us to provide information on cyber issues they deal with on a regular basis. This balance serves to provide input for all our stakeholders to reinforce our shared mission. The 24th annual Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education will be gathering in the beautiful Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, MD, from June 14-17. Presentations and keynote addresses will focus on this year’s theme of privacy issues, policies that enforce technological solutions, and those nasty asymmetric and persistent threats to our infrastructure and systems.
2021 COMMUNITY COLLEGE CYBER SUMMIT (3CS)
Dayton, OH | August 2-5, 2021
3CS is organized and produced by the National CyberWatch Center, National Resource Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA), CyberWatch West (CWW), and Broadening Advanced Technological Education Connections (BATEC), which are all funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The outcomes of 3CS leverage community college cybersecurity programs across the nation by introducing the latest technologies, best practices, curricula, products, and more.
WOMEN IN CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE (WICYS 2021)
Denver, CO | September 8-10, 2021
Join us for the largest cybersecurity conference where we have comparable representation of students and professionals in the audience.
The WiCyS conference will offer:
- Technical presentations
- Technical workshops
- Student Poster competitions (winners receive travel grants)
- Birds-of Feather discussions
- Career Village with mentoring and networking session
- Panel discussions
- Lightning talks
- Career and graduate school fair (expecting 100+ organizations)
Dedicated meet ups for:
- SFS Scholars
- WiCyS Students chapters
- WiCyS affiliates
- Faculty with funding agency leaders
Join WiCyS organization to access community portal, speaker bureau, career central among other member exclusive features.
News
Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Community News
National CyberWatch Center News
National Security Agency Central Security Service (NSACSS) News
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) News
National Cybersecurity Alliance News
Highlights from previous Events
Day of Cyber @WaldenU
The Day of Cyber team interviewed Bob Duhainy, PhD, Principal Investigator, Core Faculty, School of Management and Technology and Doctor of Information Technology at Walden University. Read the full article.
Community College CyberSecurity Summit (3CS)
Dr. Mack Chapman discussing our programs with potential candidates. Dr. Mack Chapman and Dr. Gary Griffith attended the Community College CyberSecurity Summit (3CS) that was held on August 2–4, 2018 at Mount Hood Community College in Portland, Oregon. The 3CS conference is the only national academic conference focused on cybersecurity education at community colleges. This yearly conference is held at different community colleges around the United States to promote Cybersecurity best practices. The outcomes of 3CS leverage community college cybersecurity programs across the nation by introducing the latest technologies, best practices, curricula, products, and more.
Dr. Griffith discussing our programs with potential candidates. Dr. Chapman and Dr. Griffith attended 2018’s 3CS conference to promote Walden University’s, College of Management and Technology, School of Information Systems and Technology’s Cyber Security and Information Assurance programs. The School of Information Systems and Technology’s Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Cyber Security and Forensics program is recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). The School of Information Systems and Technology also offers students master’s degrees in cyber security, and in the Doctor of Information Technology program, students can tailor their research into areas of Cyber Security/Information Assurance that is of greatest interest to our students.
We had an Excellent Booth location to meet potential students. Along with promoting our cyber security programs, we were also working to create articulation agreements with community colleges that would give community college students pathways to further their education in Cyber Security at Walden.
Pictured to the left are Amy Pavlo (on left) and Dr. Karlyn Barilovits (on right) at the National Cyber Summit. National Cyber Summit
Amy is attending Walden University working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology in the Cyber Security and Forensics program. Dr. Barilovits, Dean of School of Information Systems and Technology at Walden University, is a member of Women and Minorities in Cyber Security working group, a subcommittee of the Colloquium for Information Security Education (CISSE). Thanks to Walden University membership in the CISSE, Dr. Barilovits was able to apply for a grant offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) which provided the funding for Amy to attend the National Cyber Summit held in VON BRAUN CENTER in Huntsville, AL on June 7–9, 2016.
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Computers & Security:
https://ees.elsevier.com/cose/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA):
https://www.cisa.gov/CyberSeek:
https://www.cyberseek.org/Department of Homeland Security | Cybersecurity:
https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cybersecurityInfraGard Magazine:
https://infragardmagazine.com/International Journal of Information and Learning Technology:
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ijiltInternational Journal of Information Management:
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-information-management/International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector (IJISSS):
https://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-information-systems-service/1099Information Security Education Journal (ISEJ):
http://socio.org.uk/isej/Journal of Cases in Information technology (JCIT):
https://www.igi-global.com/journal/journal-cases-information-technology-jcit/1075National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC):
https://www.us-cert.gov/National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force:
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/national-cyber-investigative-joint-task-forceNSA | Central Security Services (CSS) Resources for Students & Educators Resources for Students & Educators:
https://www.nsa.gov/resources/students-educators/NSA Cyber Exercise:
https://www.nsa.gov/What-We-Do/Cybersecurity/NCX/NSA Student Programs:
https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nsa/nsastudents.html
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