Computer Sciences Commons^™

Uc-523: It 4983 Server Hardening, Manuel Chico, Gilbert Vuong, Harrison Jones, George Barber

C-Day Computing Showcase

The team was assigned the responsibility of securing a web server. This business website is hosted on a technology stack comprising Apache, MariaDB, Red Hat Linux, and PHP. Our initial task involves conducting a comprehensive assessment of the provided network to identify vulnerabilities and assess potential risks. Subsequently, we will develop a robust security policy plan in alignment with the standards set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and industry best practices. Once the plan was approved, our group will proceed to implement the recommended changes to fortify the network, ensuring it complies with industry best …

Gr-461 Sudoku Solver Using Brute Force Algorithm With Backtracking Approach, Md Shamsul Alam, Md Jahirul Islam, Vyghni Sudha Kommineni, Jaswanthi Vellanki, Poka Sudheer

C-Day Computing Showcase

Sudoku is a fun game that challenges our brain to think logically. It only has numbers from 1 to 9 in a 9x9 matrix network where the nine numbers should not be repeated in the same column, row or each 3x3 submatrix. Although there are numerous methods to solve this problem, the most common method is the backtracking algorithm. So, we are using brute force algorithm to solve sudoku and then compare it with backtracking to ensure which algorithm gives best results.

Gr-493 Advancing Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring Through Integrated Physical Factors And Wavelength Optimization, El Arbi Belfarsi

C-Day Computing Showcase

This work examines the effects of physical factors like skin tone, temperature, thickness, and humidity on the performance of GlucoCheck, a non-invasive glucose monitoring device using IR technology. It delves into how these variables influence light absorption and scattering in the skin, affecting IR image quality in GlucoCheck. The research addresses how skin humidity alters transmittance, and skin temperature and color diversely impact light absorption. These findings underscore the importance of considering these variables to improve glucose level predictions. We propose a data collection strategy using advanced sensors for real-time acquisition of these factors, integrating them into the algorithm for …

Uc-395 Ccse Reservation Application, Nicholas Kelley, Tykira Carreker, Keith Mutisya, Aaron Hyatt

C-Day Computing Showcase

The CCSE department tasked us with creating an application to streamline the reservation of the rooms and equipment maintained by the college. To achieve this, we developed a front-end application created with PHP that allows users to view available resources, and request reservations for them. We created and maintained a back-end database configured with MySQL through phpMyAdmin to allow for the easy integration with the front end. Through the project we created new functions in the application with the user in mind, to create the best possible application to fit the needs of the CCSE department.

Uc-400 Electric Vehicle Team, Brandon A Solon, Austin D Klein, Caleb Mcmaster

C-Day Computing Showcase

The KSU Electric Vehicle Team is developing a fully autonomous electric go-kart to compete in the Autonomous Karting Series (AKS). Our team will be making two programs for the kart’s software stack. These programs include a race line optimizer, which can take the centerline of a track and generate a minimum curvature path for it to follow to get around the track faster, as well as a race controller which can switch navigation algorithms automatically based on the current conditions of the race.

Uc-413 I Spy... Water Safety, Caden M. Robertson, Danny Winters, Denice Jaquez, Tahj Brown, Maksims D. L'Hernault

C-Day Computing Showcase

I Spy Water Safety is a game that teaches people about the importance of water safety around a lake. Our goal is to teach people proper water safety etiquette and lower the amount of water-related incidents.

Uc-426 Cybersecurity Park, Michael P. Leung, Kalil R. Masters, Robert Deason, Ian C. Skoonberg, Aiden D. Gohlke

C-Day Computing Showcase

We are presenting two additional modules to the Cyber Security Park, a long-running game project that is part of the realities lab. Whack-a-Malware is an arcade game where the player has to whack various malware, each with unique effects that mimic real-world malware. This includes Adware, Spyware, Ransomware, Computer Worms, and Trojan Horses. The player is equipped with two hammers that instantly destroy malware. But it goes on a three-second cooldown every time they destroy something. The player can reduce the cooldown by destroying adware as they are the main cause of slowing down the computer. Digital Footprints Private Investigator …

Uc-432 Ccse Reservation Application, Brandon R. Bunn, Ryan Kafka, Dina Levieva, Alyn Ovell, Olivia C. Venuti

C-Day Computing Showcase

This CCSE Reservation Application project is focused on creating a unified web application to simplify the reservation process for inventory devices and room time slots for faculty and staff at Kennesaw State University. This initiative combines two separate reservation systems into a single solution, encompassing a database, backend, and frontend. The database will store relevant information, the backend will handle data communication, and the frontend will provide a user-friendly interface for making reservations. Administrators will have access to an admin view for managing requests. The project has faced challenges, including resource constraints and team coordination issues. While the integration of …

Uc-433 Finding The Limits Of Ai For Web Development In 2023, Christopher S. Layson, Njagi Kagika, Christian Bush-Cunningham, Ismail O. Lawal, Adam Z. Nash

C-Day Computing Showcase

Our team was tasked with finding the limits of artificial intelligence for web development in 2023. This involved our team researching what the different parts of a website are, how to prompt an AI chatbot to provide us with source code, and how to put together a working prototype of an auction website by the end of our project. Our team produced various documents along the way that show our progress such as various slideshow files, documentation word docs, and a research report on our findings. After working with the AI to produce source code for our website, we have …

Uc-454 Resilient Infrastructures: Enhancing Akwaaba's Cyber Defenses, Christian Mckee, Mateen Begum, Marisa G. Diaz, Kelvin Nguyen, Shreya Patel

C-Day Computing Showcase

The project focuses on securing the server infrastructure of Akwaaba, a Caribbean-inspired steakhouse chain with locations in New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. It involves assessing risks, implementing mitigation strategies, and establishing access policies for the on-premise servers. The student team will analyze the Red Hat Linux-based Virtual Machine hosting the WordPress website, which uses PHP, MariaDB, and Apache. Their objective is to prevent intrusions and data breaches that could compromise customer and business data. Furthermore, the team will perform Red and Blue team penetration testing to evaluate security measures and simulate potential attacks. They will incorporate the latest …

Uc-508 Memories: Echoes Of Resilience, Ethan J Hester, Joshua Tyler Padgett, Katelyn R Freeman, Sarah Crosby, Keith W Rhymer

C-Day Computing Showcase

Memories: Echoes of Resilience is a first-person narrative experience that takes players through different experiences of a boy with autism. The game aims to show how everyday interactions can be different to someone with autism. Experiences such as making friends in school, being in overstimulating environments, or managing adult life are experiences we want to simulate for the player. The player will be able to interact with the world around them but will also have to be aware of how their environment impacts them, so they don’t become overstimulated.

Ur-484 Ai Detection – Chat Gpt, Wylder Everett, Daniel Mode, Paul Nguyen, Alfred Johnson, Bilal Khan

C-Day Computing Showcase

With the emergence of large language models (LLM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants like ChatGPT, accompanying tremendous potentials are critical challenges. Indeed, these assistant systems can provide quality information with conveniences. However, the generated contents are highly problematic being seemingly indistinguishable from that of human. The implication of this issue is severe in science, education, and domains that value original contents. With such motivation, this project addresses the task of identifying ChatGPT-synthesized texts with a focus on education, specifically, in short-answer questions. The goal of the project is to develop an AI technology that identifies synthesized texts by comparing such …

Machine Learning In Minecraft: Proof Of Concept For Object Detection Oriented Autonomous Bots In Minecraft, John Merkin

Symposium of Student Scholars

Machine learning provides new methods of problem solving through applied pattern recognition. An interesting challenge is to utilize machine learning in the automation of tasks and behaviors in virtual environments. Minecraft is an open-world, sandbox style game giving players nearly limitless freedom to alter a procedurally generated world. In the survival game mode, the player must collect resources to craft tools and build structures. The collection of resources can be tedious, so this project seeks to automate the standard initial task of collecting wood. By combining a convolutional neural network with API, a bot can collect resources while remaining scalable …

Toxic Comment Classification Project, Brandon Solon

Symposium of Student Scholars

The digital landscape has blossomed thanks to the surge of online platforms, boosting the variety and volume of user-created content. But it's not without its shadows; cyberbullying and hate speech have also proliferated, making web spaces less safe. At our project centerstage, we work on creating a machine learning model skilled at spotting toxic comments with precision - this way contributing towards an internet society free from fear or discomfort. We put well-documented datasets to good use along with careful preprocessing maneuvers while trialing diverse machina-learning protocols as part of constructing solid classification architecture for usages beyond current limitations within …

Preparing Uk Students For The Workplace: The Acceptability Of A Gamified Cybersecurity Training, Oliver J. Mason, Siobhan Collman, Stella Kazamia, Ioana Boureanu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This pilot study aims to assess the acceptability of Open University’s training platform called Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training course (GICAST), as a means of improving cybersecurity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in undergraduate students using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A mixed-methods, pre-post experimental design was employed. 43 self-selected participants were recruited via an online register and posters at the university (excluding IT related courses). Participants completed the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q) and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Scale. They then completed all games and quizzes in the GICAST course before repeating the HAIS-Q and …

Integrity, Confidentiality, And Equity: Using Inquiry-Based Labs To Help Students Understand Ai And Cybersecurity, Richard C. Alexander, Liran Ma, Ze-Li Dou, Zhipeng Cai, Yan Huang

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have brought society closer to the long-held dream of creating machines to help with both common and complex tasks and functions. From recommending movies to detecting disease in its earliest stages, AI has become an aspect of daily life many people accept without scrutiny. Despite its functionality and promise, AI has inherent security risks that users should understand and programmers must be trained to address. The ICE (integrity, confidentiality, and equity) cybersecurity labs developed by a team of cybersecurity researchers addresses these vulnerabilities to AI models through a series of hands-on, inquiry-based labs. Through …

Building A Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce: A Study On Attracting Learners With Varied Educational Backgrounds, Mubashrah Saddiqa, Kristian Helmer Kjær Larsen1 Helmer Kjær Larsen, Robert Nedergaard Nielsen, Jens Myrup Pedersen

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity has traditionally been perceived as a highly technical field, centered around hacking, programming, and network defense. However, this article contends that the scope of cybersecurity must transcend its technical confines to embrace a more inclusive approach. By incorporating various concepts such as privacy, data sharing, and ethics, cybersecurity can foster diversity among audiences with varying educational backgrounds, thereby cultivating a richer and more resilient security landscape. A more diverse cybersecurity workforce can provide a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and skills to address the complex and ever-evolving threats of the digital age. The research focuses on enhancing cybersecurity education …

A Developed Framework For Studying Cyberethical Behaviour In North Central Nigeria, Aderinola Ololade Dunmade, Adeyinka Tella, Uloma Doris Onuoha

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

ICT advancements have enabled more online activities, resulting in several cyberethical behaviours. Literature documents prevalence of plagiarism, and online fraud, among other misbehaviours. While behaviour has been explained by several theories, as scholarship and research advances, frameworks are modified to include more constructs. The researchers modified Fishbein and Ajzen (2011)'s Reasoned Action Approach to study female postgraduate students' perspectives toward cyberethical behaviour in North Central Nigerian universities.

The study focused on four variables, which were adequately captured by the model: perception, awareness, and attitude.

An adapted questionnaire collected quantitative data. This study used multistage sampling. A sample size of 989 …

Leveraging Vr/Ar/Mr/Xr Technologies To Improve Cybersecurity Education, Training, And Operations, Paul Wagner, Dalal Alharthi

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The United States faces persistent threats conducting malicious cyber campaigns that threaten critical infrastructure, companies and their intellectual property, and the privacy of its citizens. Additionally, there are millions of unfilled cybersecurity positions, and the cybersecurity skills gap continues to widen. Most companies believe that this problem has not improved and nearly 44% believe it has gotten worse over the past 10 years. Threat actors are continuing to evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting attacks on public and private targets. Education institutions and companies must adopt emerging technologies to develop security professionals and to increase cybersecurity awareness holistically. …

Integrating Nist And Iso Cybersecurity Audit And Risk Assessment Frameworks Into Cameroonian Law, Bernard Ngalim

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This paper reviews cybersecurity laws and regulations in Cameroon, focusing on cybersecurity and information security audits and risk assessments. The importance of cybersecurity risk assessment and the implementation of security controls to cure deficiencies noted during risk assessments or audits is a critical step in developing cybersecurity resilience. Cameroon's cybersecurity legal framework provides for audits but does not explicitly enumerate controls. Consequently, integrating relevant controls from the NIST frameworks and ISO Standards can improve the cybersecurity posture in Cameroon while waiting for a comprehensive revision of the legal framework. NIST and ISO are internationally recognized as best practices in information …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Experiential Learning In Cyberbiosecurity And Agriculture Through Workforce Development, Kellie Johnson, Tiffany Drape, Joseph Oakes, Joseph Simpson, Ann Brown, Donna M. Westfall-Rudd, Susan Duncan

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cyberbiosecurity and workforce development in agriculture and the life sciences (ALS) is a growing area of need in the curriculum in higher education. Students that pursue majors related to ALS often do not include training in cyber-related concepts or expose the ‘hidden curriculum’ of seeking internships and jobs. Exposing students through workforce development training and hands-on engagement with industry professionals can provide learning opportunities to bridge the two and is an area of growth and demand as the workforce evolves. The objectives of this work were 1) to learn key concepts in cybersecurity, including data security, visualization, and analysis, to …

Infrastructure As Code For Cybersecurity Training, Rui Pinto, Rolando Martins, Carlos Novo

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

An organization's infrastructure rests upon the premise that cybersecurity professionals have specific knowledge in administrating and protecting it against outside threats. Without this expertise, sensitive information could be leaked to malicious actors and cause damage to critical systems. These attacks tend to become increasingly specialized, meaning cybersecurity professionals must ensure proficiency in specific areas. Naturally, recommendations include creating advanced practical training scenarios considering realistic situations to help trainees gain detailed knowledge. However, the caveats of high-cost infrastructure and difficulties in the deployment process of this kind of system, primarily due to the manual process of pre-configuring software needed for the …

Building The Operational Technology (Ot) Cybersecurity Workforce: What Are Employers Looking For?, Christopher A. Ramezan, Paul M. Coffy, Jared Lemons

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A trained workforce is needed to protect operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) within national critical infrastructure and critical industries. However, what knowledge, skills, and credentials are employers looking for in OT cybersecurity professionals? To best train the next generation of OT cybersecurity professionals, an understanding of current OT cybersecurity position requirements is needed. Thus, this work analyzes 100 OT cybersecurity positions to provide insights on key prerequisite requirements such as prior professional experience, education, industry certifications, security clearances, programming expertise, soft verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of OT frameworks, standards, and network communication protocols, and position …

Leading K-12 Community Responsiveness To Cyber Threats Via Education Of School Community, Michele Kielty, A. Renee Staton

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cyber threats have escalated in recent years. Many of these threats have been direct and vicious attacks on K-12 systems. Educators are rarely trained on how to address cyber threats from a systemic and educational perspective when such challenges arise in their school buildings. This article explains the cyber threats that are looming large for K-12 systems and provides concrete tools for school leaders to employ in order to provide preventive education to their school communities.

A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Cyber Ranges And Educator Motivation, Cheryl Beauchamp, Holly M. Matusovich

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A growing number of academic institutions have invested resources to integrate cyber ranges for applying and developing cybersecurity-related knowledge and skills. Cyber range developers and administrators provided much of what is known about cyber range resources and possible educational applications; however, the educator provides valuable understanding of the cyber range resources they use, how they use them, what they value, and what they do not value. This study provides the cyber range user perspective of cyber ranges in cybersecurity education by describing how K-12 educators are motivated using cyber ranges. Using mixed methods, this study explored educator motivation associated with …

Like Treating The Symptom Rather Than The Cause - The Omission Of Courses Over Terrorism In Nsa Designated Institutions, Ida L. Oesteraas

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The National Security Agency (NSA) awards Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals who will work in careers that reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. A review of the curricula in the 327 institutions and their degree programs reveal that only two programs offer a required course about terrorism. Given the fluid nature of terrorism and its threat to national infrastructure, the omission is concerning. It is recommended that NSA-certified cybersecurity programs begin implementing educational content that aim to teach about this emerging crime and justice issue. One suggestion is to embrace the …

Integrating Certifications Into The Cybersecurity College Curriculum: The Efficacy Of Education With Certifications To Increase The Cybersecurity Workforce, Binh Tran, Karen C. Benson, Lorraine Jonassen

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

One only needs to listen to the news reports to recognize that the gap between securing the enterprise and cybersecurity threats, breaches, and vulnerabilities appears to be widening at an alarming rate. An un-tapped resource to combat these attacks lies in the students of the secondary educational system. Necessary in the cybersecurity education is a 3-tiered approach to quickly escalate the student into a workplace-ready graduate. The analogy used is a three-legged-stool, where curriculum content, hands-on skills, and certifications are equal instruments in the edification of the cybersecurity student. This paper endeavors to delve into the 3^rd leg of …

Cybersecurity Challenges And Awareness Of The Multi-Generational Learners In Nepal, Raj Kumar Dhungana, Lina Gurung Dr, Hem Poudyal

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Increased exposure to technologies has lately emerged as one of the everyday realities of digital natives, especially K-12 students, and teachers, the digital immigrants. Protection from cybersecurity risks in digital learning spaces is a human right, but students are increasingly exposed to high-risk cyberspace without time to cope with cybersecurity risks. This study, using a survey (N-891 students and 157 teachers) and in-depth interviews (27 students and 14 teachers), described the students' cybersecurity-related experiences and challenges in Nepal. This study revealed that the school’s cybersecurity support system is poor and teachers has very low awareness and competencies to protect students …

Exploring Network Security Educator Knowledge, Jennifer B. Chauvot, Deniz Gurkan, Cathy Horn

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

It is critical for nations to have trained professionals in network security who can safeguard hardware, information systems, and electronic data. Network security education is a key knowledge unit of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and various information systems security curricula at the master's and bachelor's levels in higher education. Network security units are components of computer science curricula in high school contexts as well. Educators who teach these concepts play a significant role in developing a skilled workforce of network security experts for both governmental and non-governmental organizations. Understanding the necessary knowledge and skills of network …

Editorial, Michael E. Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Editorial for Volume 2023, Issue 2