SEMO promotes cybersecurity awareness

Southeast Missouri State University hosted the State Cybersecurity Education Innovation Summit recently to help expand cybersecurity education opportunities for students across the state.

Superintendents and faculty from Missouri high schools were presented information on free courses available in creating cybersecurity awareness and education programs in their schools.

Mario Garcia, director of SEMO's Institute for Cybersecurity, said the summit helped fulfill one of the institute's main objectives -- service to the community by promoting cybersecurity education and awareness.

Garcia said the National Security Agency (NSA) has designated SEMO the state's lead institutional Center of Academic Excellence in cybersecurity. The NSA sponsored the summit to present these courses through Regions Investing in the Next Generation (RING).

The RING program was created by the University of Alabama-Huntsville and Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. Garcia said the RING courses include ethics in computer science and cybersecurity, data and network security and cryptography.

"These materials are targeted for high school students, so they hire art designers to create courses using interactive games with high-quality graphics," Garcia said.

Garcia said it's important to begin cybersecurity training at a young age because lack of education and awareness is the main reason it is so easy for hackers to compromise a network or steal someone's identity or credit card numbers.

"That's exactly the reason that we need to start now at the high school level, training the teachers to train the students and creating awareness of how to defend, how to protect," Garcia said. "In creating cybersecurity awareness, people will learn and be aware of things to do, or not to do, that will close some of the doors that hackers use."

Garcia said connecting with high school and even middle school students not only helps them become aware of how to defend against cyber attacks, but it also shows them opportunities for high-demand careers. He said SEMO's Computer Science graduates have gone on to careers as network administrators, computer programmers and database managers, earning up to six-figure salaries.

"In cybersecurity, the demand is even greater with the continuous attacks on our institutions, from government to private institutions to banks to communications, transportation and the health system," Garcia said. "They need to have qualified people to defend against these attacks that are growing exponentially."

According to Garcia, the Department of Computer Science, and cybersecurity in particular, is the university's fastest-growing program. He said they have more than 2,000 applicants, but only have room for about 1,100 students. There are currently 15 faculty in the department, but Garcia said they will hire three more to help meet the demand.

Garcia said another way his program will benefit area residents is by preparing specific forums and training programs for senior citizens to learn how to prevent against hackers gaining access to their private information. He said SEMO also has plans to create programs and invite administrators from law enforcement and health agencies to train in cybersecurity.

"Also, every year we are going to host a conference in October for cybersecurity awareness month," Garcia said. "We'll invite our community to be proactive and create this awareness, from middle school students to seniors, to our leaders, police officers and nurses."