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October 28, 2024

CCSU debuts new Cybersecurity Hall, partners with biz to keep pace with ever-evolving cybersecurity threats

Contributed | CCSU Students walk through the new Cybersecurity Hall at Central Connecticut State University, which was created to help encourage more students to pursue careers in the growing industry.
By Andrew Larson

Seven years ago, Central Connecticut State University didn’t offer a cybersecurity course.

By 2019, the state university enrolled 49 students in a newly formed cybersecurity program. Now, as the school unveils a dedicated Cybersecurity Hall featuring specialized labs and equipment, the program has 164 students.

The exponential growth comes as the nation sees unprecedented demand for jobs in the cybersecurity field.

As cyberattacks escalate in number and complexity, businesses are scrambling to hire enough people to ensure they’re protected from emerging threats and can respond in case of an intrusion.

Connecticut’s cybersecurity workforce currently stands at 9,841, with 4,463 openings for cybersecurity-related positions, according to Cyber Seek.

New Britain-based CCSU is trying to help bridge the gap with a $720,000 investment in its Cybersecurity Hall, which is part of a new tech center — called the Applied Innovation Hub — on its campus.

Chad Williams

“There’s a huge shortage of workers, not just in Connecticut, but across the entire country,” said Chad Williams, professor and chair of CCSU’s computer science department. “But the Northeast, in particular, is one of the places that’s really in need of these skills. We’re specifically trying to address, within our program, the skill-needs that we’re hearing in the region.”

In Connecticut, there’s demand for cybersecurity workers at healthcare systems, insurance companies, IT firms, financial institutions and utilities. But the state’s high concentration of defense contractors means there’s also a need for workers with skills to protect national security infrastructure.

Steven Minkler

“We are committed to training students to not only work in the field, but to make sure they’re doing it in a way that is essential to keeping the security of our country top of mind,” said Steven Minkler, CCSU’s dean of engineering, science and technology.

Real-world experience

The new hall is equipped with network devices, security appliances and servers for students to practice networking and cybersecurity skills.

Labs operate in an isolated environment, in which students can deploy malware and study its behavior, without infecting live systems, Williams explained.

While traditional cybersecurity-training programs haven’t always succeeded in providing hands-on experiential learning, CCSU’s Cybersecurity Hall makes it a main focus.

The program requires students to complete an internship with 480 hours of work experience.

Industry partners, including Eversource, Optum, Cigna, RTX, Infosys, The Hartford and Equian, send employees from their cybersecurity departments to teach students as adjunct professors.

Chris Leigh

Eversource has hired about eight CCSU graduates with cybersecurity degrees, according to Christopher Leigh, the utility company’s chief information security officer, who is an adjunct professor at CCSU and serves as chair of its board of industrial advisors.

The adjunct professors discuss current industry trends and provide examples of real-life cyberattacks, which help keep the curriculum up-to-date.

“As I often say, the students in my class go through a four-month interview before I consider them for an internship,” Leigh said.

CCSU’s cybersecurity program is the first in New England to receive validations from the National Security Agency for cyber-defense and cyber-operations.

Rapid evolution

Cybersecurity is constantly evolving, thanks in part to the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence. AI can be used as a tool for companies to fight cyberattacks — or as a tool of destruction.

“AI is kind of like a hammer,” Williams said. “From one perspective, it’s a huge advantage for being able to build defenses and being able to build solid ways that you can defend against attacks. At the same time, in the wrong hands, you can use it as a hammer as an offensive weapon.”

He said companies are using AI to look for weaknesses that hackers could exploit, enabling them to work proactively to address problems before they occur.

Another issue, Williams said, is that AI is relatively easy to hijack.

By the time students graduate, they have substantial knowledge in cyber engineering and defense strategies, penetration testing, vulnerability management and compliance with cyber-related laws, Leigh said.

“As a result, students are very prepared to join the workforce and immediately put hands-to-keyboard and begin adding value,” Leigh said.

Top concern

Businesses consistently list cyber threats as a top concern. The 2024 Travelers Risk Index found that the percentage of companies that have suffered a cyberattack (24%) rose for the eighth time in nine years.

The Travelers study also found that a record number of businesses (62%) said they worry “some or a great deal” about cyberattacks.

Between August and September 2023, a highly publicized ransomware attack on Prospect Medical Holdings crippled the company’s three Connecticut hospitals — Manchester Memorial, Waterbury and Rockville General — and their affiliated medical offices.

The 40-day breach forced two of the hospitals to divert ambulances from their emergency rooms, and prevented the healthcare system from billing Medicaid. Also, many patients had elective procedures canceled, and facilities were unable to perform X-rays and CT scans at times, the CT Mirror reported.

In early October, a cyberattack hit the largest water utility in the United States, New Jersey-based American Water. The company was forced to pause billing, suspend customer service and disconnect some of its computers following “unauthorized activity” on its network, according to Reuters.

Many of the cyberattacks in the United States stem from gangs of cybercriminals, often stationed abroad, who deploy ransomware that encrypts data and instructs victims to pay a ransom via cryptocurrency in order to regain access.

When a business refuses to pay the ransom, the intruders may threaten to sell the stolen data in an auction.

Rhysida — a cyber gang that targets the education, government, manufacturing and technology sectors — took credit for the Prospect Medical incident, according to Axios. The group has also hacked the Chilean Army and Kuwait’s Ministry of Health.

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