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SOMEWHERE IN NEVADA – On a hot August afternoon, about 10 miles from the DEF CON hacker convention in the center of the Las Vegas Strip, White House National Cybersecurity Director Harry Coker and a small organization of his were escorted to a Faraday cage.
The device, used by intelligence and national security analysts in secret environments to block electromagnetic signals and prevent sensitive data from leaking in or out of the room, gave the impression of being almost inhabited. The area was furnished with a chessboard, office chairs, couches, and desks filled with hardware and laptops.
Dressed in a gray suit, a dozen pairs of eyes were glued to Coker as he walked toward a computer screen in the middle of the cage, where it displayed a map of cyberattacks hosted on a non-governmental website, detailing statistics of recent attacks. . -Virtual cross-border attacks against targets in the United States, Russia and other nation-states.
Seconds after examining the card, Coker turned around and found a photographer’s flash inside the cage. Outside the sign-protected compound, dozens of other people looked inward, excited and captivated by their executive guest who traveled some 4,000 kilometers for the visit.
The national cybersecurity director did not report on any high-profile intelligence issues. In fact, it looks like a school.
“Anthony, do you need to tell him about your research?” ” a voice shouted from outside the room. Standing in the cage with Coker, Anthony, a student, spoke with the National Director of Cybersecurity about an upcoming Security Operations Center, or SOC provided through the Cybersecurity Club of the University of Southern Nevada, which would allow their peers to get hands-on experience with Kali Purple. Kali Purple is an extension of the popular open source cybersecurity operating system Kali Linux, specifically designed for cybersecurity defense.
The planned experience with the Kali Purple edition would also be enhanced with a terabyte-sized hard drive containing Vx-Underground malware samples, which informs users about the other types of malicious code that hackers can inject into the devices. victims’ networks.
“We have the malware on hand and it’s in an environment where we can use it a little bit more securely,” he said.
Coker’s scale at the school, abbreviated CSN, was one of several he and staff in the Office of the National Director of Cyber Security have made since he took office in early 2024. Among several projects indexed in the office’s broad national cybersecurity strategy, the United States wants to bolster its cyber workforce to better prepare for what is expected to be an accelerated pace of cyberattacks through hackers determined to cripple important U. S. infrastructures such as banks, hospitals, and government institutions.
But to figure out how to position the United States to fill some 500,000 vacant cybersecurity positions, the White House wants examples.
SOCs are the backbone of an organization’s cybersecurity efforts and enable 24-hour tracking of cyberthreats. Within the esoteric walls of U. S. intelligence agencies. In the U. S. , analysts work inside SOCs, taking turns throughout the day, scouring networks for signs of unauthorized access, potential breaches, and emerging threats, making sure that any malicious activity is detected and addressed temporarily.
At CSN, a federal facility that serves Hispanics, Coker was inspired by what he saw and heard. “What we like about SOCs on campus is that they give scholars relevant, real-world experience,” he told the visiting organization of scholars, universities, and staff.
CSN is a network school that is a model for the Biden administration’s project to attract a more varied and skilled workforce for cybersecurity jobs, whether in the government or personal sector. It allows scholars to start early in their cybersecurity careers and encourages them to interact on systems that offer cyber and IT facilities to businesses in the Nevada region.
In his appearances at schools across the country and near Washington Ring Road, Coker has made it clear that other people who want to enter the world of cybersecurity don’t need a popular four-year college degree to do so, opting to pursue a two-year school degree. Diplomas that can be complemented through a diversity of technical skills that other young people can bring to the table after graduation.
Your workplace adopts a two-pronged approach to those efforts. As the ONCD visits each stop, its strategy has not only focused on gathering the most productive practices from local leaders, but also on actively disseminating the federal resources available for its workforce efforts. The workplace says this dynamic is critical to maintaining robust dating that fosters the institutional progression of cyber jobs.
This “exemplary” task seen at the University of Nevada, as Coker described it, aligns with work already begun in Washington, where the White House turned work requirements into the series of 2,210 government projects, comprised of nearly 100,000 federal IT and cybersecurity employees. – Skills-based hiring. The Congress also did the same with a series of proposals to raise awareness and educate.
Coker sees a bit of his own experience in the academics he spoke with during the tour. These included visiting scholars from 3 of the best local schools, where they can earn course credit in the CSN categories.
“Coming from similar social and economic backgrounds as some of those students, they are in better shape than I am. They are more objective than I was when I was a kid,” Coker, a former CIA and NSA veteran, told Nextgov/FCW during the visit.
“They were concerned from very early on,” he said.
The academics all have their own stories about what encouraged them to pursue a career in cybersecurity, but they all show the same preference for their fellow citizens or for fighting enemy hackers.
Janette, a recent CSN graduate who agreed to use only her first call for this story, needs to put an end to the widespread fraudulent schemes that have charged victims billions of dollars.
“I was a victim of very serious identity theft in 2015,” Coker said during the Nextgov/FCW tour. His entire identity, along with his social security number, was stolen and deposited on the dark web, a hidden component of the web that is not indexed through popular search engines, where illegal cybercrime activities can be rampant. .
“I didn’t know how to combat this,” he said. “I need to teach others how to avoid identity theft and scams. “
His resume rivals that of cybersecurity personnel seen in major cities, including the nation’s capital, where there is undoubtedly a shortage of cybersecurity talent. In college, Janette participated in student organizations focused on cybersecurity. This culminated in an internship with NFL network engineers supported through the Cisco Networking Academy, where she is the only student on the Super Bowl infield a week before the big game, performing cable testing and other responsibilities to protect against the unauthorized access.
It also holds CompTIA A and CompTIA Network certifications and is actively pursuing a third, he said in a follow-up email. “Cybersecurity also involves security and I know there are many options,” he wrote.
In the eyes of the ONCD, the University of Southern Nevada is a tale of good fortune for the long-term U. S. cyberset. How can lawmakers, federal experts and other stakeholders be convinced through a single office in the White House that serious adjustments are needed to prepare the next generation to use and protect alternative weapons?
Painting is of the end, says Coker.
“Nationally,” he said when asked about next steps. He relays his comments to Congress and executive offices similar to those of President Biden. “We’re sure they’re part of the process. “
Since the beginning of the decade, but especially in 2024, officials have declared that the global risk landscape is more dangerous than ever. Public testimony has highlighted the infiltration of critical US infrastructure by Chinese hackers, along with an increase in the allocation of military assets in critical congressional investment bills. This year, record turnout in global elections has further intensified those risks, and growing considerations about AI-driven disinformation will become a reality before November.
For many, United States cybersecurity is the second-best line of defense. Senior military experts, adding recently retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, who led the NSA and Cyber Command, are pushing for similar university-level studies amid fears that new threats to national security no longer know borders and pose a challenge to nations for the foreseeable future.
In the air-conditioned hallways of the campus building, with Faraday’s cage just a floor up, Coker had a critical task that’s on the schedule for many of those school tours: He had to give a speech.
For the lucky ones who talk to Coker and his team in Washington, it’s just normal. But the genuine truth exposed through the White House cyberczar is that the global is much bigger outside the halls of Congress and other buildings. that make up the federal government.
As he walked to the lectern in front of an audience made up of CSN employees, members of the local press, and student cyber employee volunteers, he almost worshiped. Harry Coker is looking to save America’s cybersecurity workforce and has chosen his school to help lay the foundation for a new kind of technological revolution.
“For the students, faculty, and partners, it’s very exciting to spend time with you today. It’s been so exciting to meet so many of you here at the College of Southern Nevada,” he said to applause.
“I especially enjoyed the meeting with the students this morning – from top schools, colleges and universities – and I’m most encouraged by our long journey after meeting with one and both of you,” he said.
Another visit and many more to do.
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