School of Business Launching Course on National Cybersecurity Challenges

Course Starts This Fall and Will be Open to Undergraduate Seniors and Graduate Students in Digital Forensics, Computer Science, Mathematics or Cyber Security

The course will be taught by business professor Sanjay Goel.

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 12, 2018) – The School of Business is launching a course this fall that will help prepare students to tackle the nation’s most pressing cyber security issues.

The course, National Cyber Security Challenge Problems, will be available to undergraduate seniors and graduate students in digital forensics, computer science, mathematics or cyber security. The experiential-learning class will allow students to work hands-on with technical leaders in government to solve cyber security problems.

Partnering with National Labs, Governmental Agencies

Students will work on projects with scientists in national labs and intelligence agencies that deal with cyber security or intelligence problems, receiving more than 15 hours of instruction and assistance from participating professionals, according to Sanjay Goel, the course instructor and a professor of business.

“There are vexing national security problems that need to be solved to ensure that our national secrets are protected,” said Goel, who also serves as the director of the University’s digital forensics program. “Our hope is that this program will bring fresh young minds to find creative solutions to these problems.”

Students will work on, for example, spotting security problems with intrusion detection systems for industrial control systems, examining phishing attacks and user behavior or detecting malicious behavior through leveraging social interactions.

The course was made possible through a grant from the National Security Agency (NSA) to Goel.

Goel said that working on these issues will inspire students to take on the field of cyber security and work with governmental agencies that are “in dire need of good talent for keeping the national cyber infrastructure secure.”

Insure Program

As part of the course, students will also have the opportunity to join a network comprising 20 universities in the Information Security Research and Education (INSuRE) project.

INSURE connects universities with Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R), the NSA, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to establish research partnerships.

Participating National Labs and Federal Agencies in INSuRE:

• Argonne National Laboratory
• Idaho National Laboratory
• Indiana Office of Technology
• Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• MITRE
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• National Security Agency
• Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division
• New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Sandia National Laboratories

For more information on the course, contact Goel.

School of Business has rapidly expanded its educational foot print in cyber security and digital forensics. It was among the first in the nation to introduce a B.S. in Digital Forensics, and offers an MBA concentration in cyber security and a 15-credit graduate certificate in information security.

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