As the Internet grows steadily in size and convenience, online crime has kept pace, expanding into an illegal multi-billion dollar industry.
???The University at Buffalo School of Management and Time Warner Cable recently partnered to counter this growing threat by expanding the Western New York Cyber Security Workshop Outreach program that UB started two years ago.
???"The program is to teach about the field of information assurance, along with the importance of cyber security," said Hejamadi R. Rao, professor in the departments of Management Science and Systems (MSS) and Computer Science and Engineering. "The education will help in creating a strong cyber security aware populace and will thus help in the fight against cybercrime and cyber threats."
???The goal of the program is to capture the minds of young students and make them aware of cyber security and cyber crimes.
???The program features live demonstrations of cyber security equipment, hands-on activitie, and basic lessons on various topics like data encryption, wireless security, digital forensics, firewalls, anti-virus tools and intrusion detection systems.
???"All middle and high school students are eligible for the program," Rao said.
???The program is carried out in several different middle schools in Buffalo. They mostly target students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade as a part of the career course class that students have to take to satisfy an academic credit. The program is also carried out in local high schools in collaboration with computer science classes.
???"[The partnership] just started with Time Warner," Rao said. "Thousands of middle and high school students are taking part in the program."
???Rao's efforts in the field of cyber security have been going on since 2002, along with Shambu J. Upadhyaya, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Dr. Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, professor in the Department of Geography.
???"It was originally taken up as part of the outreach for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant on gender and cyber security awarded to [me], Bagchi-Sen and Upadhyaya," Rao said.
???When the grant with NSF was ending, the professors approached Time Warner Cable, and in turn, Time Warner agreed to fund the outreach program for the next three years.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
