51视频

11/18/2019
By Edwin L. Aguirre

51视频 has opened a new center for cybersecurity education, research and workforce development called the Cyber Range that will help students prepare for careers in the high-demand field.

The state-of-the-art lab facility, which is located on the fourth floor of the Wannalancit Business Center near East Campus, will use real-world scenarios and the latest technology to teach students how to defend against an array of cyberattacks, implement security measures to mitigate network vulnerabilities and harden different operating systems.

For more than a decade, 51视频 has been a leader in cybersecurity education and training. In 2016, the university was designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research (CAE-R).

鈥�51视频 is one of only four universities in the state that carry the designation, the others being Boston University, Northeastern University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute,鈥� says Computer Science Prof. Xinwen Fu, who is a member of the Cyber Range faculty. 鈥淭he designation provides federal funding opportunities that are open only to CAE-R institutions.鈥�

51视频 is also home to three cybersecurity research centers 鈥� the Center for Internet Security and Forensics Education and Research (iSAFER), the New England Cybersecurity Operation and Research Center (CORE) and the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS). Faculty from computer science and engineering to business and criminal justice are engaged in research in all aspects of cybersecurity, including Big Data, data mining and business analytics, digital forensics, health data security, network and mobile security, counterterrorism and transportation security.

鈥淥ur work is being supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, DARPA, the Army Research Lab and many others,鈥� says Fu.

A Sandboxed Environment

鈥淭he Cyber Range enhances the university鈥檚 learning and research capabilities by giving students the opportunity to practice cybersecurity exercises in a safe and interactive environment,鈥� says Computer Science Prof. Fred Martin, who is the associate dean for student success at the Kennedy College of Sciences. "51视频 is proud to be the first public university in Massachusetts to open a Cyber Range that will contribute to the cyber talent in our region.鈥�

The Cyber Range鈥檚 lab facilities include a Dell PowerEdge R740 server and twenty Dell Precision 3630 i7 workstations, as well as a conference room and lecture theater.

鈥淓ach workstation allows students to test their cybersecurity skills by facing live cyberattacks in a sandboxed environment. The machines are isolated from the internet during live exercises,鈥� says Sashank Narain, an assistant professor of computer science and a member of the Cyber Range faculty.

All incoming and outgoing communication with the Cyber Range is controlled by a firewall that the university鈥檚 IT Department maintains. 鈥淎s such, the university鈥檚 security team controls all accesses to ensure that the Range is protected from external attacks. Moreover, instructors are there to make sure that students do not accidentally attack external systems,鈥� notes Narain.

Cyber Range faculty are currently training a student team that will participate in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition鈥檚 Northeast Regional in Maine next spring.

Combating a Rising Global Threat

Cyber threats continue to rise as the number of internet-connected devices grows exponentially. In 2018 alone, one in 36 mobile devices was infected with malware or other malicious apps, according to the latest by Symantec Corp., maker of the Norton antivirus software. And mobile ransomware infections, wherein cyber criminals hold the device鈥檚 data hostage for a profit, increased 33 percent from 2017.

鈥淪o much of our daily life unfolds online, which has greatly increased the need for highly skilled cybersecurity workers. We are proud to provide 51视频 students with the very best training to prepare them for careers in this important field,鈥� 51视频 Chancellor Jacquie Moloney said during the Cyber Range鈥檚 official opening on Nov. 1. 鈥淭his new Cyber Range supports students鈥� education, while also helping employers secure the skilled workforce to address a critical issue.鈥�

Demand for computer security skills is strong, with the number of job openings in cybersecurity predicted to top 3 million by 2021, according to a recent industry report.

鈥淲e must rise to the challenge and stop cybercriminals in their tracks,鈥� said U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan at the center鈥檚 opening. 鈥淭he new Cyber Range allows 51视频 to expand the pipeline of skilled and hard-working graduates that companies throughout our region have come to rely on in developing the talented workforce necessary to take on such challenges.鈥�

Aside from Moloney and Trahan, speakers at the event included representatives from Red Hat Inc., MITRE Corp., Spinnaker Security LLC, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative鈥檚 MassCyberCenter, the UMass President鈥檚 Office, state and local officials and Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the Kennedy College of Sciences.

The opening of the Cyber Range comes as the university is expanding its computer security offerings.

In the fall of 2020, the Department of Computer Science will offer an undergraduate option in cybersecurity, according to Melikechi.

This is in addition to 51视频鈥檚 current academic offerings, which include , a , an online graduate certificate in cybersecurity and other programs from Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and the School of Criminology and Justice Studies.