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Abstract
large. Information security threats are well beyond
Homeland Security (HS) is a growing field of study
pedestrian hackers defacing any Web site that they can
in the U.S. today, generally covering risk management,
break into; today we see specific organizations,
terrorism studies, policy development, and other topics
industries, or countries being targeted with the aim of
related to the broad field. Information security threats
destroying or disrupting infrastructure, stealing
to both the public and private sectors are growing in
intellectual property, or upsetting the economy [2,3].
intensity, frequency, and severity, and are a very real
This situation could have hardly been underscored in a
threat to the security of the nation. While there are
more serious fashion than the development of
many models for information security education at all
Executive Order (EO) 13636 and Presidential Policy
levels of higher education, these programs are
Directive (PPD) 21 in early 2013 [4,5]. Exacerbating
invariably offered as a technical course of study; these
the problem, from a homeland security perspective, is
curricula are generally not well suited to HS students.
the recognized national shortage of cybersecurity
As a result, information systems and cybersecurity
expertise [6,7].
principles are underrepresented in the typical HS
It is clear that cybersecurity is one of the primary
program. The authors propose a course of study in
national security -- and national defense -- challenges
cybersecurity designed to capitalize on the intellectual
for the U.S. Given central role that information plays in
strengths of students in this discipline and that are
the U.S. and global economies and societies, in
consistent with the broad suite of professional needs in
general,, the need for cybersecurity within the realm of
this discipline.
homeland security cannot be overstated. The last three
presidents each recognized the growing importance of
information security and took steps to produce plans to
1. Introduction protect cyberspace [2,8,9,10]. The Department of
Defense (DoD) U.S. Cyber Command, created in 2009,
Cybersecurity, information security, and is scheduled to quintuple in size by 2017 [11]. The
information assurance are widely used buzzwords in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is making a
the homeland security (HS) field today1 -- and hacking, concerted effort to hire cybersecurity professionals
information operations, and cyberwarriors are terms [12].
that are growing in use, as well. Because all U.S. The nation's academic community has a long
critical infrastructures, including food, water, history of responding to the needs of industry, society,
government operations, financial services, healthcare, and the government. Academic programs in
emergency services, energy distribution, and information security, for example, have been widely
transportation [1], are totally dependent on the flow of available since the 1990s. The National Security
reliable data, information systems are vital to the Agency (NSA) and DHS co-sponsor the Center of
ongoing health of the U.S. economy and society at Academic Excellence in Information Assurance
Education (CAEIAE) program that recognizes
1
Cybersecurity is the term commonly used by the federal academic curricula and institutional commitment to
government although, strictly speaking, it is actually a subset of the information security education at two-year, four-year,
broader discipline of information security. Information assurance graduate, and research institutions [13]. Homeland
has the broadest applicability, by describing the security of
information and adding aspects of governance, private and public Security (HS) programs, tasked with producing
sector policy, and law. For purposes of this paper, the three terms managers, analysts, and policy makers who can address
will be used interchangeably.
current and emerging threats to national security, In an earlier work, the authors introduced a set of
started to appear in the mid-2000s [14]. paradigms of information security that speak to the
complex, multidisciplinary nature of the field (Figure
2. The Intersection of Homeland Security 1) [18]. In short, we observe that cybersecurity
and Cybersecurity Education comprises three planes of study:
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a required core class for all HS majors. This course is a The second 300-level course is Introduction to
survey of the subject matter, addressing operations, Digital Forensics. This hands-on course focuses on the
governance, applications, purposes, and strengths and tools and techniques of reactive offense and defense.
limitations to information assurance and incident The course will introduce to the broad field of incident
response activities. Topics include a definition of response and digital investigations, and the gathering
information security, the need for this field of study, of digital information for evidentiary, intelligence, and
ethical and legal issues, risk management and planning, research purposes. Legal aspects governing search and
and information security technology. The role of DHS seizure will be described, as well as basic tools for
in securing cyberspace and the nation's information- computer, network, and mobile device forensics
related infrastructures is also explored. A particular acquisition, analysis, and reporting.
goal of this class is to apply the topics discussed to The two 300-level courses are a prerequisite for a
assessing risks and protecting information assets in 400-level course named Cybercrime and Cyberlaw.
both the private and public sector. This course will address criminal behavior in
The other five courses comprise the minor. cyberspace, such as identify theft, white-collar crimes,
Although students do not need to be programmers, fraud, child sexual exploitation, intellectual property
Linux gurus, or network wizards to learn cybersecurity theft, and online scams. Evolving laws governing
topics for homeland security application, they do need cyberspace, defining criminal activity, and guiding law
to have a good grounding in technology. The first enforcement investigations will be covered, including
course in the minor is a 200-level course titled U.S. decisional law guiding search and seizure of
Computer and Network Technologies. This class is digital devices and information as well as international
intended to provide an introduction to the technology laws related to computer crime and privacy.
that underlies computers and communication networks. The final course, War, Diplomacy, and Terrorism
Students will gain an understanding of how computers in Cyberspace, forms a capstone of sorts for the minor.
operate, user interfaces and operating systems, data This seminar-like course will examine the impact of
storage, network hardware components and protocols, cyberspace on war, diplomacy, and terrorism including
the Internet, and Transmission Control emergent threats and modern countermeasures, and
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) communications how critical infrastructure can be hardened and made
protocols and applications. This course is not intended more resilient in order to reduce the impact of
as a security course, per se, but as one that covers the cyberattacks. This perspective on cybersecurity
fundamental bases of the technologies that students use education is important and timely for HS programs as
every day and that are, in fact, the vectors of the nation has already entered an era of cyberterrorism
cyberattacks. This course is heavily dependent upon and cyberwarfare, as evidenced by Advanced
hands-on exercises to reinforce the course subject Persistent Threat-class attacks, specific attacks on
matter; e.g., exercises are planned that will introduce hardware (e.g., Stuxnet and Flame), attacks on
both the DOS and Linux command line interface, have information systems for political and ideological goals
students build peer-to-peer networks, write a simple (e.g., by groups ranging from Anonymous to the Cyber
program, install a simple Web server, write a Web Fighters of Izz ad-din Al Qassam), and the impact of
page, utilize a firewall, and sniff packets. The intent social networks and the Internet on diplomacy and
with the exercises is not to make students into system social change.
administrators, Web designers, or programmers, but to One of the particular challenges in creating this
help them understand and appreciate what these curriculum is the design of appropriate assessment
individuals do and how the systems they use operate. instruments. The 100- and 200-level courses provide
The 100- and 200-level courses are the essential facts and concepts necessary for the
prerequisites for a pair of 300-level courses. The first understanding and assimilation of the contents of the
of these is titled Information Security Tools and 300- and 400-level courses. Since the intention of the
Techniques. This class is intended to introduce the early courses is not to prepare students for technical
tools and techniques used to attack and secure careers or jobs -- but, rather to enhance their
computers, data networks, and digital information; understanding of homeland security -- the testing
show methods by which attackers identify and exploit cannot fairly be about the technical aspects of the
vulnerabilities and weaknesses; and demonstrate subject matter. Instead, assessment mechanisms must
methods with which to attack and secure operating be prepared that better measure what social science
systems, communications infrastructures, and data students have learned about technology and addresses
networks including TCP/IP and the Internet. This the learning outcomes of the courses that are relevant
course will employ hands-on exercises to introduce the to homeland security policy and management. This
proactive tools of offense and defense. suggests that hands-on exercises and writing
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assignments are the best way to measure whether [5] The White House, "Presidential Policy Directive --
students have achieved the learning outcomes rather Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience" (PPD 21),
than a more traditional objective test. Washington, D.C., 2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-
press-office/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-
infrastructure-security-and-resil
5. Conclusion
[6] Beidel, E., and S. Magnuson, "Government, Military Face
HS education has proven to be a robust, dynamic, Severe Shortage of Cybersecurity Experts", National Defense
and valuable academic discipline. One method by Magazine, 2011, http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org
which HS education might mature -- and maintain /archive/2011/August/Pages/Government,MilitaryFaceSevere
relevance -- is by formally incorporating cybersecurity ShortageOfCybersecurityExperts.aspx
into the curricula. While the basic elements of
[7] Finkle, J., and N. Randewich, "Experts Warn of Shortage
cybersecurity can be introduced in a course or two, HS
of U.S. Cyber Pros", Reuters, June 13, 2012,
programs should provide students with the opportunity http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/13/us-media-tech-
to study information security in depth, just as they summit-symantec-idUSBRE85B1E220120613
might choose specialties in emergency management,
risk management, infrastructure protection, [8] The White House, National Plan for Information Systems
transportation security, resilience, or terrorism studies. Protection, Version 1.0: An Invitation to Dialogue,
Due to its technical nature, cybersecurity must take a Washington, D.C., 2000, http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd
multidisciplinary approach to offer both perspectives; /CIP-plan.pdf
doing so will provide students with a valuable skill set
[9] The White House, The National Strategy to Secure
with which to address what might one of the most
Cyberspace, Washington, D.C., 2003, http://www.us-cert.gov
challenging homeland security and defense issues for /reading_room/cyberspace_strategy.pdf
the future.
As a final note, HS programs need to bring their
[10] The White House, International Strategy for
own faculty up to speed with these issues as well as Cyberspace: Prosperity, Security, and Openness in a
educating their students. Like all multidisciplinary Networked World, Washington, D.C., 2011,
topics, the course developers and faculty need to have http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer
subject matter expertise in both homeland security and /international_strategy_for_cyberspace.pdf
information security. This will require a whole new set
of practitioners entering the ranks of HS program [11] Nakashima, E., "Pentagon to boost cybersecurity force",
faculty which will, in turn, broaden potential The Washington Post, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com
dissertation topics as well as subsequent /world/national-security/pentagon-to-boost-cybersecurity-
force/2013/01/19/d87d9dc2-5fec-11e2-b05a-
teaching/learning scholarship.
605528f6b712_story.html
[2] Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), [13] National Security Agency (NSA), National Centers of
Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency, A Report of Academic Excellence Web site, 2012, http://www.nsa.gov/ia
the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th /academic_outreach/nat_cae /index.shtml
Presidency, Technology and Public Policy Program,
Washington, D.C., 2008, http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs [14] Ramsay, J., D. Cutrer, and R. Raffel, "Development of
/081208_securingcyberspace_44.pdf an Outcomes-based, Undergraduate Curriculum in Homeland
Security", Homeland Security Affairs Journal, 6(2), 2010,
[3] Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) Web page, http://www.hsaj.org/?article=6.2.4
2012, http://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-advisory-
council-hsac [15] Kessler, G.C., "Information Security: New Threats or
Familiar Problems?", IEEE Computer Magazine, 45(2),
[4] The White House, "Executive Order -- Improving Critical 2012, pp. 59-65.
Infrastructure Cybersecurity" (EO 13636), Washington, D.C.,
2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02 [16] Little, M., "Executive order on cyber security builds
/12/executive-order-improving-critical-infrastructure- steam amid criticism", Los Angeles Times Online, 2012,
cybersecurity
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http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-
executive-order-cyber-security-20121002,0,6786970.story
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