Interdisciplinary Program in Information Security and Assurance By Kossi Edoh NC A&T State University Greensboro
Information Assurance The protection of electronic information and infrastructures that are used to create, store, process and communicate the information To ensure availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation.
Introduction Security practitioners have been developed from the job, or recruited from law enforcement or military There is the demand for information assurance professionals from diverse backgrounds and with multidisciplinary expertise Need properly trained professionals to secure our critical infrastructure
Introduction Continued The National Information Assurance Education and Training Partnership program among Industry and Academia (formed in 1990) National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) program Now sponsored by NSA and DHS
Criteria for CAEIAE status Evidence of partnership in IS education IS treated as multidisciplinary science University promotes practice of IS IS research Broader IS curriculum Faculty productivity in IS research & scholarship State of art IS resources Concentrations in IS University recognition of IS Dedicated IS faculty
Existing Programs Univ. NC Charlotte and NC A&T Scholarship of Service Program (SFS 2002) NCA&T FUTURES grant 2005/2006 Participation Departments Criminal Justice Department of Mathematics Business and Economics
FUTURES grant 2005/2006 Department of Computer Science School of Technology College of Engineering Students were selected from these departments to work on interdisciplinary research topics.
Goal Develop a program in Information Assurance & Security involving Several Departments Required courses will be taught primarily in the various departments
Curriculum Development Guidelines Curriculum should represent a consensus from the Info Security stakeholders Curriculum be designed to help Info Security faculty produce competent and confident entry-level graduates Curriculum be based on sound methodologies Flexible and adaptable to most departments involved in the program.
Methodology and Demands Backward Curriculum Design Process Begin with desired outcomes and goals and work backward to design learning objectives for related courses. Answer the Question: What should an information security graduate be qualified to do and what positions are available for them
Positions Forensics Network Administrators System Administrators Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Engineers Information Security Manager Integration Reference Point (IRP) Handler Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning (DR/BCP) Manager Information Security Consultant
Roles CISO- Access and manage programs that secure org. information Security Managers- Accountable for operation of security programs Security Administrators hybrid of security manager and technician Security Technician- Take care of security programs Security Staffer- Watch security programs run intrusion console and emails
Approaches to Implement IS Curricula Elements added to existing courses Elements added to capstone courses Design independent security courses Information security certificates/minors Information security degree programs
Number of Courses Involve critical stakeholders Create employable students who can advance academically Capitalize on available resourcesfaculty, classrooms, labs Support national program objectives
Number of Courses One course Introduction to IS or Management of IS (Business) Two courses Technical IS Introduction to IS or Management of IS
Number of courses continued Three courses Introduction to IS Management of IS Technical IS Four or more courses First three plus Firewalls, VPNs OS Security Computer Forensics Security and Law Contingency Planning E-commerce
Proposed Areas of Research Information Security Fundamentals Information Privacy Security Resources Information Security Policy Risk Management Access Control Cryptography
Proposed Area Continue Operating System Security E-Commerce Security Firewalls Intrusion Detection Network Auditing Tools and Penetration Testing Virtual Private Networks Wireless Network Security Incident Response Computer Forensics
Information Assurance Research Laboratory Network and server equipment to support research in intrusion detection and incident response (NMAP scanner) system penetration testing, and assessment development of applications resilient to network degradation algorithm development for intrusion detection vulnerability assessment wireless security protocols, and similar areas
Open Source Software Tool Ethereal Snort Netcat TCPDump Hping2 DSniff GFI LANguard Ettercap Whisker Open Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Commercial Yes Yes Linux Linux/Windows Linux/Windows Linux/Windows Linux/Windows Linux Linux/Windows Windows Linux/Windows Linux/Windows
Open Source Security Lab Use Virtual machines (Linux running on Windows or NT/2000 and Windows running on Linux) www.vmware.com
Faculty A number of faculty members are involved in the work and activities of Information Assurance Research Laboratory Dr. Kossi Edoh Dr. Verada King Dr. Stephen Providence Professor Mayes Dr. John Kelly
Training for faculty Faculty need to attend IS curriculum programs like the NCISSE, WISE. Faculty workshops on curriculum design for IS From one faculty expect to others Security resources CERT, CIAC, SANS and NIST
End Questions?
Extra Stuff- Advisory Board Industry members
Legal and Ethical issues Protection of traditional knowledge Comparative effectiveness Gray markets for manufacturing Economic of legal systems
Interactive Course and Security Lab Laboratory Firewalls, network Analyzer, Port Scanner, Stenography, Wireless LAN Firewalls and Intrusion detection experiments (Check Point firewall and ISS real Secure IDS sensor) Cryptography Lab Stenography Lab Hybrid Encryption Systems Network Analyzer Lab Vulnerability/Port Scanner Lab Firewall lab Wireless LAN