In the current Internet-connected world, most companies, government agencies, and the public heavily rely on the cyber world for information and data management, processing, and exchange. Information leakage and data breaches have become increasingly damaging to businesses, the government, and people's lives. Correspondingly, hackers have more incentive to attack for financial and political gains. While the existing cybersecurity curricula focus on defensive solutions, this proposed online program from the University of Central Florida attempts to provide both defensive and post-attack digital forensics curriculum for dedicated digital forensics students and professionals. This project will enrich the future cybersecurity workforce with both preventative and post-attack digital forensics skills to effectively counter the cause and effect of cyber-attacks. This program will also help alleviate shortages of qualified digital forensic researchers and practitioners in cybersecurity areas.
Specifically, in this project, the researchers will build an online digital forensics program including two introductory courses and seven hands-on labs. The program will help build the necessary background for students and professionals to perform high pressure, skilled post-attack digital forensics analysis and incident responses. Students and professionals will acquire digital forensics knowledge to tackle future challenges in emerging cyber-systems such as networked critical infrastructures. Meanwhile, as computers and smart devices penetrate every aspect of our life, digital forensics training should not only cover traditional personal computers but also emerging smart devices, including smart phones and Internet of Things (IoT). Upon this request, this program also includes course materials and hands-on labs on forensic analysis of smart phones and IoT devices. The principal outcomes of the project will be enhancing cybersecurity curricula to include digital forensics courses and hands-on lab modules that focus on evaluating and analyzing cyber-attacks and countermeasures at the post-attack stage. Through this project, students and professionals will be prepared with the digital forensics knowledge necessary for them to undertake specific roles in future cybersecurity and digital forensics careers. Further, hands-on labs are emphasized in the project since these can help students solidify their knowledge from coursework and will eventually prepare them for real-world cybersecurity challenges.
