Understanding System Utilization as a Limitation Associated with Cybersecurity Laboratories – A Literature Analysis

Abstract

Executive SummaryThe use of laboratories as part of cybersecurity education is well evidenced in the existing literature. We are informed about the benefits, different types of laboratories and, in addition, underlying learning theories therein. Existing research also demonstrates that the success of employing cybersecurity laboratory exercises relies upon controlling or minimizing potential challenges in the maintenance and usage of these laboratories. However, to date there has not been any effort to examine the possible limiting factors associated with system utilization in such laboratories.In order to begin addressing such laboratory system resource utilization factors, this study examined existing research with the objective to gain an understanding of system utilization as a limitation to employing cybersecurity laboratories as pedagogical tools. Understanding the potential issues and limiting factors is of benefit to researchers, laboratory designers, and managers, as well as to higher education institutions hosting such laboratories. To this end, this study analyzed 11 years of academic literature for themes of limiting factors related to system utilization.Analysis of the academic literature detected a reoccurring presence of system utilization issues as limiting factors within both hardware-based laboratories as well as virtualized laboratories. Furthermore, findings indicated that despite various attempts to resolve such utilization issues, the literature has yet to definitively do so. Concurrently, this study developed a taxonomy to conceptualize the evolution of, and relationships between, such literature.The full taxonomy is constructed over the course of seven diagrams and demonstrates the evolution of both the utilization issues documented in the literature as well as potential solutions. The diagrams incorporate successive groupings of literature into six tiers which are arranged according to the emergent themes. According to each emergent theme (e.g., transitioning from hardware-based laboratories to virtualized laboratories and associated, residual utilization issues), connections within the tier as well as external to the tier (forwards and backwards) are established.Ultimately, despite the success and effectiveness of cybersecurity laboratories, challenges related to system resource utilization continue to plague educators. What is more, no singular laboratory infrastructure design presents a model to address the system resource challenges. Thus, a need exists to create a cybersecurity laboratory design thatMaterial published as part of this publication, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit ...