Cybersecurity

The Cybersecurity certificate is suitable for entry-level positions in the computer science or information technology fields, senior system managers or system administrators, or technical professionals looking to broaden their skill set or transition into security from adjacent fields such as criminal justice, business and finance, or healthcare. Practical examples of recent security breaches will be discussed (such as recent high profile attacks at Sony, Target, and other corporations) to illustrate applications of the course materials. Course material fulfill curriculum requirements from the U.S. government and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), including required topics for training security professionals under the Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation Program established by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).  The course also covers all key areas of the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge, among others [1].  Although the certificate assumes no prior experience in cybersecurity, recommended prerequisites include familiarity with introductory programming principles and data networking; there are no specific computer language prerequisites for this certificate. The Networking prerequisite can be fulfilled by enrolling in Data Communication & Networks, CMPT 306.

The three courses in the Cybersecurity Certificate are:

• Introduction to Cybersecurity (CMPT 416- 4 credits) 

  This course provides an introduction to key concepts in cybersecurity for cloud and enterprise data centers.  Fundamental cybersecurity concepts are covered, including physical data center security, authentication, access control, identity management, secure software development principles and practice, cryptography, privacy, and compliance/governance.  Students will be introduced to ethical hacking and a variety of common security attacks, including code injection, man-in-the-middle, phishing, buffer overflows, and principles including least privileges, separation of duty, kill chains, and more. 

• Risk Assessment
• Encryption (DES, AES, and more)
• Malware
• Common attacks
• Public/Private key infrastructure
• Passwords
• Windows administrative policies
• Data networks
• Enterprise Security

• Hacking and Penetration Testing (CMPT 417N - 3 credits)

  This course provides a technical overview of hacking, including denial of service attacks, steganography, bounty hunting, surveillance and fingerprinting a targeted site, enumeration, and exploitation.  Students will gain experience designing a penetration test plan, implementing intrusion detection systems, cyberwarfare, and performing incident response with basic digital forensics.  Ethical hacking and penetration testing tools will be described, including Kali Linux, IBM AppScan and QRadar, Cisco Umbrella and CloudLock, and capture-the-flag exercises based on the National Cyberleague and IEEE Xtreme Programming Competition.

• Ethical Hacking
• Vulnerability assessment
• Defense against viruses, worms and malware
• Phishing
• Kali Linux
• Forensics

• Mobile Security (CMPT 418N - 4 credits) 

  This course deals with security concerns in the rapidly evolving world of mobile and wireless devices for the home and workplace.  Students will explore the wireless network infrastructure, along with wireless LAN (WLAN) security threats and auditing tools.  Students will gain experience with WLAN implementation, management, and countermeasures, rogue access points, fingerprinting mobile devices, and the unique challenges of implementing WLAN security policies.  Case studies using both iPhone and Android platforms will be discussed. 

• Wireless infrastructure
• Wi-fi
• Bluetooth
• Smart phones (both iPhone and Android security)
• Wireless encryption
• Hacking techniques

Each course includes an online virtual lab accessible from a web browser and hosted in a secure cloud computing environment.  Students will gain practical, hands-on experience with real world tools such as WireShark, Nmap, PuTTY, Metasploit, Filezilla, and more, in addition to fundamental security administration using Windows, Apple, and Linux operating systems.  In addition, each week the courses review case studies of recent prominent cyberattacks, which are the subject of class discussions in the course online forums.  The program of study is developed and presented by Prof. Casimer DeCusatis, Ph.D., a technical expert with over 24 years industry experience; among his many credentials, he is a Cisco Distinguished Speaker, Fellow of the IEEE, OSA, and SPIE, holder of over 140 issued U.S. patents, and co-author of nearly 200 technical papers, books, and encyclopedia articles.   

For more information or to reserve your seat, please contact learnzos@marist.edu