May 2002

Going to Battle at SEAS

Students Develop Skills Necessary to Thwart Hackers in Real Time

By John Carroll

The perimeter has been violated and the enemy is steadily encroaching. You have one last chance to thwart the threat and emerge victorious. Your weapons of choice are not guns and ammunition, but technical knowledge. Your enemy: computer hackers.

Professionals responsible for maintaining the security of computer systems are vulnerable to attack at any time. Hackers using technical ingenuity and special software can gain remote access to local computer networks and Web sites. Once inside, hackers can do great damage. Aside from causing mischief and a disruption of business, hackers also can browse confidential or proprietary files and extract vital information or even change the appearance of a Web site.

In GW’s Computer Security Battle Lab at the Virginia Campus, students learn how to establish and maintain a secure cyber environment. In this simulated “cyber-battlefield,” the student can attack a system in a controlled environment to identify and correct weaknesses. The lab can simulate a broad range of real-world cyber threats and experiment with computer security and intrusion detection technologies that can identify and prevent invasion.

The program is directed by Lance Hoffman, professor of computer science at the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Hoffman has written several books on the subject, including his most recent, “Building Big Brother,” the first book devoted to the use of cryptography to protect data.

“These hands-on exercises provide an ‘in the trenches’ perspective and understanding of how the various technologies work beyond the textbooks,” says Hoffman. “It’s portable, it’s wireless, and we are building a set of graduated exercises to teach students about hardware and software architecture as it relates to computer security.”

Battle Lab exercises are part of a new graduate certificate program in Computer Security and Information Assurance. The program was created, in part, as a response to the growing market demand for professionals who are highly trained in computer security. Julie Ryan, professor of engineering management and systems engineering, explains, “Traditionally, the big consumers for security professionals were governments and extremely large corporations involved primarily in finance/banking or in intellectually intensive R&D efforts. Now the demand is everywhere.”

The 22-week accelerated program comprises four graduate-level courses: “Introduction to Computer Security;” “Information Policy;” “Viruses, Worms and Network Security;” and “E-Commerce Security.”

Hoffman emphasizes the practical knowledge students gain from the program are immediately applicable on the job. He says “The course curriculum is targeted for those concerned with identifying, detecting, and responding to intrusions against the systems which they protect. Individuals will leave the program with the skills to interpret the output of intrusion detection sensors, identify whether a system has been compromised, steps to take to contain the intrusion, and necessary actions to eradicate the source of the intrusion and return affected systems to normal operations.”

SEAS recently has been designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as one of 36 institutions nationwide recognized as Centers for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. In June, the University will be officially recognized by the NSA at the Sixth National Colloquium for Information System Security Education. Designated universities are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the federal and Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Programs.

 

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

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