Published: Aug. 28, 2020

dan massey sitting on a benchIn partnership with the Technology, Cybersecurity, and Policy (TCP) Program of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, International Affairs launched a new course in summer 2020, Cybersecurity: US and the World. This special topic introduced core concepts in cybersecurity with emphasis on the impact of cybersecurity on government policies, politics, terrorism and current topics at the international and national level.

Taught by TCP Program Director and Professor Dan Massey, students completed an array of hands-on projects, research, and role play. “They chose the role of a senior official at the World Health Organization, major hospital chain, Italian government, or similar, says Massey, “And, from the perspective of that role, they responded to a real COVID-19 cybersecurity article by writing a memo and public service announcement,” says Massey.

They also completed a technical project, capturing real network messages and digging into the fake, personal information roots of those messages. By the end of the three-week class, students gained a deeper understanding cybersecurity, including confidentiality, integrity, availability, and adversarial thinking while emphasizing policy and social aspects of cybersecurity.