Capacity Building for Control System Security Collaborative Project

With an ever-increasing part of our nation's critical infrastructures in the hands of public and private employees via computer systems, the need for a cybersecurity educated workforce has never been so great. Since the operation of these infrastructures is heavily dependent on control systems, it is imperative that the future workforce be educated and trained on the security of such systems. This project will serve as an instrument to that purpose and its novelty in enhancing cybersecurity education--in particular control systems security--is predicated on total learning immersion utilizing problem-based-learning techniques and hands-on experimentation. Collectively, the activities and the corresponding evaluation process for continuous improvement present a transformative educational system that is replicable at the national setting. Most importantly, this project is well-positioned and has the capacity to bring about unprecedented improvement in cybersecurity education particularly to members of the underrepresented groups. 

Recognizing the urgent need to protect our nation's critical infrastructures, this collaborative capacity building project undertakes a series of intertwined tasks with the primary objectives of developing control systems security curriculum materials, enhancing cybersecurity curricula by offering professional development workshops to instructors of community colleges and 4-year institutions, evaluating the effectiveness of these learning and teaching materials, and disseminating these materials for widespread national adoptions. The project presents a unique opportunity for faculty to expand and retool their cybersecurity curricula to address the current gap in control systems security education and research. The collaborative effort in the design and implementation of the course modules and the virtual testbed facilitates the adaptability of those curriculum tools and materials in all levels of higher education. The project builds on two highly successful grant projects: the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Critical Infrastructure Security and Assessment Laboratory (CISAL) project that was completed in May 2013 and the Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored gamification of security awareness training project that was completed in December 2013. The portable and cost-effective toolkit that evolved with the CISAL project and the freely accessible course modules provide generous motivations for widespread curriculum adoption across national settings.