Teaching Cybersecurity: A Handbook for Teaching the Cybersecurity Body of Knowledge in a Conventional Classroom

by Daniel Shoemaker, Ken Sigler, Tamara Shoemaker

Overview

Let’s be realistic here. Ordinary K-12 educators don’t know what "cybersecurity" is and could probably care less about incorporating it into their lesson plans. Yet, teaching cybersecurity is a critical national priority. So, this book aims to cut through the usual roadblocks of confusing technical jargon and industry stovepipes and give you, the classroom teacher, a unified understanding of what must be taught. That advice is based on a single authoritative definition of the field. In 2017, the three societies that write the standards for computing, software engineering, and information systems came together to define a single model of the field of cybersecurity. It is based on eight building blocks. That definition is presented here. However, we also understand that secondary school teachers are not experts in arcane subjects like software, component, human, or societal security. Therefore, this book explains cybersecurity through a simple story rather than diving into execution details. Tom, a high school teacher, and Lucy, a middle school teacher, are tasked by their district to develop a cybersecurity course for students in their respective schools. They are aided in this by "the Doc," an odd fellow but an expert in the field. Together they work their way through the content of each topic area, helping each other to understand what the student at each level in the educational process has to learn. The explanations are simple, easy to understand, and geared toward the teaching aspect rather than the actual performance of cybersecurity work. Each chapter is a self-contained explanation of the cybersecurity content in that area geared to teaching both middle and high school audiences. The eight component areas are standalone in that they can be taught separately. But the real value lies in the comprehensive but easy-to-understand picture that the reader will get of a complicated field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032034096
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	02/15/2023
Series:	Security, Audit and Leadership Series
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dan Shoemaker, PhD, is a distinguished visitor of the IEEE, full professor, senior research scientist, and program director at the University of Detroit Mercy’s Center for Cyber Security and Intelligence Studies. Dan is a former chair of the Cybersecurity & Information Systems Department and has authored numerous books and journal articles focused on cybersecurity.

Ken Sigler is a faculty member of the Computer Information Systems (CIS) program and Chair of Curriculum Instruction at Oakland Community College in Michigan. Ken’s research is in the areas of software management, software Assurance, cybersecurity management and cybersecurity education in which he has published several books and articles.

Tamara Shoemaker is Director for Cyber Security & Intelligence Studies at the University of Detroit Mercy. She spearheaded the development of two university department's community outreach and development strategy, CIS (Cyber security programs) and the Criminal Justice (CJ, and Intelligence Analysis). Tamara coordinates projects with government entities, academic organizations, industry and law enforcement agencies locally, nationally and internationally.

Table of Contents

1. Why You Should Read This Book, 2. Getting Down to Business: Data Security, 3. Software Security: Software Underlies Everything, 4. Component Security: It All Starts with Components, 5. Connection Security, 6. System Security: Assembling the Parts into a Useful Whole, 7. Human Security: Human-Centered Threats, 8. Organizational Security: Introduction Securing the Enterprise, 9. Societal Security: Security and Society

Editorial Reviews

Rapid dissemination of cybersecurity education is considered a strategic priority for all nations. When evaluated from this perspective, it has been designed in a way that teachers without cyber security experience can easily understand and convey and that the book has achieved its purpose. It makes an important contribution to creating social awareness of cybersecurity issues for the future. The contents of this book are well designed as the strategic map that traditional K-12 districts can use to lay out a complete course on this topic.

 

This book has a holistic approach by covering the entire formal body of knowledge. In this context, the subject of cyber security is presented modularly in eight specific sections, namely Data Security, Software Security, Component Security, Connection Security, System Security, Human Security, Organizational Security, and Societal Security. Hence, this book offers the opportunity to obtain independent technical information by educating the next generation of digital world defenders. The examples given to see the whole and fully understand the subject and the understandable way of presenting the subject can be expressed as the most important added value of the book.

 

Although I have read publications on cyber security so far, I would like to sincerely state that I have not come across a work that sheds light on cyber security with such a simple and understandable approach. I congratulate the authors, Daniel Shoemaker, Ken Sigler, and Tamara Shoemaker for presenting such a versatile subject in such an understandable way.

 

I recommend this book as an essential work that all teachers and all our colleagues who are afraid of the depth of cyber security and cannot decide where to start should have it. I hope this book will inspire a brand-new group of cybersecurity educators and researchers with a global vision to share more by adding value to a secure society.

 

- Assoc Prof Sezer Bozkus Kahyaoglu, Izmir Bakircay University, Turkey

From the Publisher