GRAMBLING, La. (press launch) — Palms-on, sensible coaching is one thing employers are on the lookout for in potential hires, and funding just lately awarded to Grambling State College’s Division of Laptop Science and Digital Applied sciences will present simply that for GSU cybersecurity college students.
GSU acquired $74,261 from the Division of Protection’s (DOD) Nationwide Safety Company (NSA) that might be used to create an Moral Hacking and Penetration Testing Lab.
“We are going to use the funds to purchase computer systems for the lab and help college students who’re enrolling within the CompTIA Safety+ certification and the summer season workshop,” stated Dr. Prasanthi Sreekumari, assistant professor and interim chair of the Division of Laptop Science and Digital Applied sciences at Grambling State. “An moral hacking and penetration testing lab is a specialised surroundings the place approved people carry out safety assessments and simulated assaults on laptop methods, networks, and functions to determine vulnerabilities and strengthen general safety.”
“The first perform of an moral hacking and penetration testing lab is to guage the safety posture of a corporation or system by replicating the strategies and strategies utilized by malicious hackers. This permits organizations to proactively determine weaknesses, tackle vulnerabilities, and improve their safety measures to guard in opposition to real-world threats.”
Sreekmari stated the lab might be positioned within the Division of Laptop Science and Digital Applied sciences.
“The primary purpose of this lab is to offer a secure and managed area for college kids to follow their expertise and determine vulnerabilities,” Sreekumari stated. “School members will supervise and information college students of their studying course of. By means of this lab, college students will achieve the information and expertise wanted to conduct safety assessments and simulated assaults.”
The mission is not going to solely give attention to coaching designed for governmental entities.
“Whereas moral hacking and penetration testing labs are generally utilized by authorities entities, similar to nationwide safety businesses, they don’t seem to be solely restricted to their use,” Sreekumari stated. “Non-public firms, instructional establishments, and safety consulting companies additionally set up their very own labs to evaluate and fortify their safety infrastructure.”
“The aim of those labs is to make sure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of delicate data and important methods. By conducting moral hacking and penetration testing, organizations can determine potential entry factors, misconfigurations, weak passwords, and different safety gaps that could possibly be exploited by unauthorized people.”
Dr. Sreekumari has been named principal investigator for the mission with Dr. Dileon Saint-Jean and Harvey Farley helping in overseeing it.
“It is very important emphasize that moral hacking and penetration testing ought to all the time be carried out with correct authorization and in compliance with authorized and moral pointers,” Sreekumari stated. “The purpose is to enhance safety measures, shield in opposition to cyber threats, and safeguard each governmental and non-governmental entities from potential dangers and breaches.”