Page 49 - WilmU Spring Summer 2013

WWhen we think of a “hero,” several images are
likely to come to mind.
Firefighter carries dog out of burning building.
Soldier accepts Medal of Honor. Paramedic
performs CPR on shooting victim.
Here’s one image you don’t conjure up too
o en: Man in a collared shirt sits behind a desk,
facing two or three monitors in a cramped
windowless office, typing furiously with one
hand and dialing a phone with the other.
You might not view this imagery as heroic
in the traditional sense. But believe it or not,
that man has as much power and potential to
save lives and protect an entire country from
dire harm as the more conventionally accepted
“heroes” of American society.
In the cyber security industry, people like this
are everywhere. They’re responding to threats
or preventing new ones from happening. They’re
doing it using the most sophisticated technology
and with the safety of their coworkers,
families, friends and country in mind. They do
it, o entimes, silently, with no expectation of
recognition, reward or thanks.
At Wilmington University, those “silent
heroes” are being trained in a unique way.
Although computer and network security is
an emerging academic field across the nation,
other local institutions have yet to offer such a
program in its entirety. Wilmington University
is the only institution in the area to offer the
Bachelor of Science in Computer and Network
Security.
It doesn’t end in the classroom. The University
has played host to several professional cyber
security events, competitions and exercises in
recent years, including a tabletop exercise of
the Greater Wilmington Cyber Security Group
(GWCSG) in March that brought leaders in the
field from as far away as Texas to work together
to find optimal ways to respond to a acks, both
electronic and structural, and to help prevent
them. The University also has its own club,
the Cyber Wildcats, dedicated to competing,
training and gaining professional ground in the
industry.
“This is the kind of heroism you don’t see in
everyday life,” says Kevin Kjosa, assistant direc-
tor of the Center for Infrastructure Assurance
and Security, a training and research firm out
of the University of Texas at San Antonio. He
and some colleagues traveled to Delaware in
March to lend their expertise and resources to
the tabletop exercise and tout awareness of the
cyber security industry.
“That awareness is crucial to the safety of
our homes and our country,” says Maj. Gen.
Tom Thomas, a speaker at the exercise and a
member of the Delaware Air National Guard.
He’s also a senior vice president at Bank of
America.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
The United States is stepping up its cyber
security offensive in ways never seen before,
Thomas says. Phishing scammers, hacktivists
and other cyber a ackers are rapidly finding
new and innovative ways to perpetrate their
a acks, and when it happens, it hits some major
corporations and government entities where it
hurts the most – their pocketbooks.
“A lot of small businesses think they don’t
need cyber security,” says Mark Hufe, an associ-
ate professor and director of the University’s
Center for Cyber Security Education. “But what
they don’t realize is that an a ack can take them
offline for a week or more, and that can put
them out of business.”
The simplest actions, such as checking sports
scores at work, can have dire consequences. A
website with malware-infected ads can spread
to a user’s computer, which can then spread
across that user’s network and cause major
problems that require time-consuming and
expensive fixes.
“You have to be able to continue operations
to do business in a secure way, meaning data is
not compromised,” he says. “If you have been
compromised, and you can keep personal and
private information from being given up, then
you’re OK.”
The need to protect the infrastructure of
those businesses, as well as mount a strong
front against future intrusions, has become a key
component of many business models.
That, in turn, has produced the need for
skilled, knowledgeable professionals to undercut
the effects of these widespread a acks. It’s a
growing industry that’s a racting many young,
career-minded people.
And that’s whereWilmington University
comes in.
“A lot of small businesses think they don’t need
cyber security. But what they don’t realize is
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more, and that can put them out of business.”
MARK HUFE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR CYBER SECURITY EDUCATION
SPRING/SUMMER