Marshall Magazine Summer 2022

“ Universities have a key role to play in cybersecurity , not only by providing graduates to address the workforce shortage but also by conducting research .”

literally and figuratively. “In the past, our cy bersecurity research was managed in multiple colleges by multiple de partments. The Institute for Cyber Security pro vides a mechanism for those colleges and de partments to work to gether,” said Dampier, who is also dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. “We’re going to see a sig nificant increase in the amount of research we’re able to do. We’re going to be able to take on much bigger projects.” The ICS has begun partnerships with West Virginia University, West

Fusion Center, an anti terrorism agency; the Department of Defense; and the Department of Homeland Secur i ty. In March, the ICS an nounced a partnership with the West Virginia National Guard and cy bersecurity firm Forge Security to provide “live fire” cyber range training exercises for members of the National Guard. The ICS also provides assis tance to theWest Virginia State Police’s southern digital forensics lab. Dampier said while many of Marshall’s cy bersecurity initiatives were in place before the institute was established,

— Chair John Sammons Department of Cyber Forensics and Security

Virginia State University and Mountwest Community & Technical College, sharing capabilities and resources to have a greater impact in the cybersecurity realm. Dampier said partnerships with other universities are also in the works.

what the ICS offers is a truly collaborative approach to these increasingly complex issues. Housed in the Weisberg Applied Engineering Complex, the ICS brings all of the university’s cybersecurity programs under one roof, both

Cybersafety Tips

Cybersafety comes down to self-preservation and common sense, said ICS Director Dr. David Dampier. “I liken it to walking in a dark alley at two in the morning,” Dampier said. “If someone comes up to you, it’s probably for a nefarious purpose. It’s the same online: if someone contacts you asking for information, you have to think about that from a victim’s perspective. My rule of thumb is this: If you contact me, I’m not giving you anything.” For example, he said, if you get an e-mail from your bank with a link to log into your account, don’t click the link. Go to your bank’s website and log in that way. He added that if you or your business fall victim to a ransomware attack, don’t pay the ransom. Protecting your data from ransomware requires a proactive approach, not a reactive one. “Ransomware attacks have become increasingly common,” he said. “When you pay ransomware attackers, there’s nothing stopping them from doing it to someone else — or to you again — in the future. The best thing you can do is back up your data proactively so that if a ransomware attack does happen, you’re protected.”

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