ETACS
-
Jul 30, 2024
-
SR03
-
15:00 — 18:30
Workshop Chairs
- → Jan Hajny (General Chair)
- → Pavel Loutocky (Co-Chair)
- → Giuseppe Bianchi (Co-Chair)
- → Rocco De Nicola (Co-Chair)
- → Sara Ricci (Co-Chair)
Accepted Paper
In this article, we introduce a novel AI-driven mapping and optimization solution enabling cybersecurity curriculum development. Our solution leverages machine learning and integer linear programming optimization, offering an automated, intuitive, and user-friendly approach. It is designed to align with the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF) released by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) in 2022. Notably, our innovative mapping methodology enables the seamless adaptation of ECSF to existing curricula and addresses evolving industry needs and trend. We conduct a case study using the university curriculum from Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic to showcase the efficacy of our approach. The results demonstrate the extent of curriculum coverage according to ECSF profiles and the optimization progress achieved through our methodology.
By integrating bug bounty programs into cybersecurity courses, students gain practical skills and soft skills essential for bug hunting and cybersecurity work. The collaboration benefits both issuers, who gain manageable manpower, and students, who receive valuable hands-on experience. A pilot conducted during the current academic year yielded positive results, indicating the potential of this approach to address the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals. The insights gained from the pilot inform future considerations and advancements in this collaborative model.
This allows us to have three groups with varying degrees of ChatGPT influence, namely no access, uncontrolled access, and controlled access. In an anonymous survey, we found that approximately 80% of our students utilize ChatGPT during the weekly assignments in 2023. However, none of them indicated this on their submission, despite it being a mandatory requirement. Through statistical analysis of achieved points in our sample groups, we identified that students perform similarly on the weekly assignments. However, their performance on the final examination deteriorates.
Detail ETACS 02/05
The focus is on practical research into higher-education cybersecurity curricula, professional training, building of cyber ranges and their coalitions across Europe, methods to assess and raise awareness in cybersecurity, the implementation of systems, and lessons learned. Furthermore, the EU-wide agreement on the identification of skills necessary for cybersecurity work roles is one of the main interests of the workshop. The event aims at putting together people form universities, professional training institutions, industry, government and EU agencies to discuss current problems and solutions for cybersecurity education and training.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The State of Cybersecurity Today – Exploring the Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Defenses through a Pedagogical Lenses
In today's interconnected digital world, effective cybersecurity defense is paramount to safeguarding information privacy against evolving threats while preserving the data integrity of critical infrastructure, national security, and academic institutions. Ensuring information security concerns are addressed is vital to maintaining a strategic position of cybersecurity readiness today, however, there is a fundamental challenge in how the education is being presented and received. With the pervasive use of technology and the increasing threats in cyberspace, there is a pressing need to reimagine the requisite cybersecurity skills and robust knowledge needed by users, beginning with challenging the traditional pedagogical model used when implementing (cyber) Security Education Training and Awareness (SETA).
Focusing on the pedagogy, the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners, we begin to better understand why the current cyber education model is ineffective, and what can be done as educators to improve the failed system. Supportive research data highlighting more effective ways to teach cyber education will help identify strategies for enhancing cyber defenses. In addition, collaborative discussions revolving around how academic research can improve our defensive security posture across industries and domains will help facilitate the defensive changes needed.
About the Speaker
Joseph Squillace, Ph.D., is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Cybersecurity at Penn State Schuylkill. Joseph received his Ph.D. in Information Systems (DISS) with a concentration in Information Security from the College of Engineering and Computing at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Joseph’s research interests include Cyberbullying, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Threat Intelligence, Cyberterrorism, Critical Infrastructure, Disaster Recovery, Cybersecurity in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Secure Supply Chain, Data Integrity, and Economics of Information Security and Privacy Breaches. Joseph has previously published scholarly research in Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, Information Systems, Computer Science, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Climate Change domains.
Dr. Joseph Squillace’s area of research expertise is within the Computer Science domain. His Technology-based research has used qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodology models, varied statistical analysis methods, and focused primarily on the advancement of new model artifacts and pedagogical-based education/training using novel theoretical approaches.His research stream spans a variety of domains, including foundational interest in Cybersecurity Education, Information and Behavioral Sciences, Criminal Justice, Sociology, and User Behavior. With direct expertise in Information Security (InfoSec), Dr. Squillace has had academic publications in peer-reviewed journal articles, and academic presentations examining specialized areas within security, including Cyberbullying, Cybersecurity Education and Pedagogy, Cybersecurity Psychology, Privacy, Ethical Actions, User Behavior (Theory), Corporate Compliance and Governance, Security Education, Training, and Awareness (SETA), Economics of Security Breach Events, eWaste, and Green Computing(sustainability). Dr. Squillace is also a Distinguished Academic Research Fellow at CyberWatch and the National Cyber Science and Practice Symposium Program Committee Chair for National CyberWatch.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to 03/05
- Description and application of cybersecurity skills frameworks
- Comparison of existing skills frameworks, contributions to the EU Skills Framework
- Description of curricula related to cybersecurity
- Lessons learned from a training experience
- Lessons learned from the use of a given technology
- Publication of a tool related to cyber ranges
- Gamification, capture the flag, red/blue teaming
- Piloting cybersecurity study programs and trainings
- Feedback on awareness campaigns