Teaching Cybersecurity Analysis Skills in the Cloud

Abstract

This paper reports on the experience of using the EDURange framework, a cloud-based resource for hosting on-demand interactive cybersecurity scenarios. Our framework is designed especially for the needs of teaching faculty. The scenarios we have implemented each are designed specifically to nurture the development of analysis skills in students as a complement to both theoretical security concepts and specific software tools.Our infrastructure has two features that make it unique compared to other cybersecurity educational frameworks. First, EDURange is scalable because it is hosted on a commercial, large-scale cloud environment. Second, EDURange supplies instructors with the ability to dynamically change the parameters and characteristics of exercises so they can be replayed and adapted to multiple classes. Our framework has been used successfully in classes and workshops for students and faculty. We present our experiences building the system, testing it, and using feedback from surveys to improve the system and boost user interest.

The Passion, Beauty, and Joy of Teaching and Learning Cybersecurity

“…EDURange is making teaching hands-on exercises easy to access through VMs in the cloud (using Amazon's EC2) [6]. No reservations are required.…”

“…We want to reach large numbers of students, and we want to engage them. The first step is to provide interesting challenges, which EDURange does [6], but then we need to give students feedback on how they are doing. This is an important role for faculty and is not something we automate.…”

A Reflective Approach to Assessing Student Performance in Cybersecurity Exercises

“…There are some exercises implemented in DE-TERlab [9]. EDURange provides a virtual environment in a public cloud with about six exercises, several of which have questions for students to answer [13].…”

Práticas Educacionais no Ensino da Computação Forense: um Relato de Experiência

“…Do ponto de vista cognitivo, as principais dificuldades incluem o pouco espaço dedicado ao tópico na maioria dos cursos de Computação (Weiss et al, 2015) e a necessidade de conhecer como diferentes abstrações computacionais (como arquiteturas em camadas e construções de linguagens de programação) são efetivamente implementadas, de modo a compreender melhor a superfície de ataque de um sistema (Bratus, 2007). Esse conhecimento específico é intrinsecamente complexo, ao passo que os currículos de Computação têm evoluído no sentido de minimizar a complexidade (Bratus, 2007).…”