This session spotlights an education provider and a large, public state university’s initiatives aimed at preparing K12 students, adult learners, military students, veterans, and career changers for in-demand cybersecurity and cloud computing jobs.

1. July 10-11, 2019

2. James Robertson, Program Chair and Collegiate Professor Computer Science, University of Maryland
University College
David Greer, Senior Vice President and Chief Programs Officer, Project Lead the Way

3. Accelerating Cybersecurity and
Cloud Workforce Preparation with
AWS
Jim Robertson, EdD
Program Chair and Collegiate Professor:
Computer Science, Software Developer and Security
University of Maryland Global Campus

4. Agenda
• Introduction
• AWS Educate
• Implementation
• Challenges and Mitigations
• Student and Faculty Feedback
• Next Steps
• Summary
• Q&A

5. Introduction
• “Urgent Need for Cybersecurity Professionals
Grows”
• “Cybersecurity’s 3-Million-Person Workforce
Shortage is Now a Risk Management
Problem”
• “(ISC)² Report Finds Cybersecurity
Workforce Gap Has Increased to More Than
2.9 Million Globally”

6. Introduction
• Cyberseek.org shows heat map of cyber
jobs
• BLS - 28% growth (much faster than
average)

7. AWS Educate
• Security is part of the AWS Well-Architected
Framework
• Resources within AWS Educate help
students/educators learn skills and tools to
support cybersecurity workforce needs
The ability to protect information, systems, and assets while delivering business
value through risk assessments and mitigation strategies.

8. AWS Educate
• Access to AWS technology
• Open-source content, training resources
• Community collaboration
• AWS credits, demos, and special on-campus
program
• Career pathways

9. AWS Educate

10. Implementation – Learning Outcomes
• Conduct automated and manual analysis on
two different Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP
(LAMP) applications
• Identify, prioritize, and repair software
vulnerabilities found in the LAMP
applications
• Document the process and findings of your
web application security analysis

11. Implementation – Learning Outcomes
• Demonstrate and fix CWE/SANS Top 25
vulnerabilities under the category of “Porous
Defenses”
• Use of a broken or risky cryptographic
algorithm
• Improper restriction of excessive
authentication attempts
• Use of a one-way hash without a salt

12. Implementation – Learning Outcomes
• Use auditing features with Oracle to monitor,
track, and identify any user who reads,
inserts, updates, or deletes data from
specific tables
• Analyze large Apache http server files for
possible botnet attacks

13. Implementation
• Before AWS
• After AWS
• After AWS Educate

14. Important Considerations
• AWS Free Tier
• AWS approval
• AWS versus University Help Desk
• AWS Educate requirements
• Demo

15. Student and Faculty Feedback
• “The labs were excellent!”
• “Content is relevant and up to date to the
professional world.”
• “Good teaching and interesting and useful
assignments.”
• “Instructions were easy to follow.”

16. Next Steps
• Automated process for class creation
• Adoption by other programs
• Dedicated support at the university

17. Summary
• AWS Educate accelerates learning at
University of Maryland Global Campus
• Prepares students for real-world jobs to fill
cybersecurity workforce gaps
• Anticipate continued improvement in
teaching tools and learning materials from
AWS Educate

18. July 10-11, 2019
The Conference Center,

19. James Robertson, Program Chair and Collegiate Professor Computer Science, University of Maryland
University College
David Greer, Senior Vice President and Chief Programs Officer, Project Lead the Way

20. • Activity, Project and Problem-Based (APB) Curriculum
• Relevant Content, In-demand Knowledge and Skills
• Unmatched Professional Development
K-12 Cybersecurity Workforce Development
David Greer

21. Agenda
• Project Lead the Way (PLTW) overview
• Workforce needs
• The PLTW cybersecurity experience
• Preparing and supporting teachers
• Questions

22. Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
Project Lead The Way is a nonprofit organization that provides a
transformative learning experience for PreK-12 students and teachers across
the U.S. Through our PreK-12 pathways in computer science, engineering,
and biomedical science, we empower students to develop the in-demand
knowledge and transportable skills to thrive in an evolving world.
• PreK-12 pathways in computer science, engineering and biomedical science
• Over 11,500 schools
• Millions of students in all 50 states
• Trained over 65,000 teachers

23. Our PreK-12 Pathway
PLTW Launch (PreK-5)
PLTW Gateway (6-8)
PLTW Engineering (9-12)
PLTW Biomedical Science (9-12)
PLTW Computer Science (9-12)
• Computer Science Essentials
• Cybersecurity (10th Grade or above)
• Computer Science Principles (AP)
• Computer Science A (AP)

24. PLTW’s Commitment to CS education
We believe all students –
beginning at a young age
– need access to quality
computer science
education.
Providing a PreK-12 CS experience that
inspires student interest, is inclusive, and
prepares students to thrive in an evolving
world.
Offering a comprehensive PreK-12 solution,
including a wide range of CS modules,
units, and courses that build on each other
and flow naturally together.
Being actively engaged with the CS
community, our network of educators, and
partners to inform PLTW students’ and
teachers’ experience.
Helping districts and schools provide
smoother transitions between elementary,
middle, and high school computer science
coursework.

25. The PLTW Cybersecurity Experience
Turning a National Problem into Student Opportunities

27. “Organizations continue to struggle
with finding security talent – from
leadership to entry-level members –
to combat increasingly sophisticated
cyber threats and manage complex
infrastructures.”
James Robinson - PLTW Cybersecurity advisory board member and TPRM product
management/information security officer at Optiv

28. Sparks Student Interest and
Fosters In-Demand Skills
Connected to Industry and
Aligned to Standards
Engaging, Secure,
and Responsible
PLTW is committed to providing students
with inspiring and relevant learning experiences.
The Cybersecurity course accomplishes this through three key benefits:

29. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Identify cybersecurity threats and protect against them.
• Detect intrusions and respond to attacks.
• Begin to examine their own digital footprint and better
defend their own personal data.
• Learn how organizations protect themselves in today’s
world.
• Establish an ethical code of conduct while learning to
defend data in today’s complex cyberworld.
Course Units
Benefit #1: Student Interest and In-Demand Skills
Students train to solve real-world problems as cybersecurity experts do.
Personal Cybersecurity
System Security
Network Security
Applied Cybersecurity
1
2
3
4

30. • Follows National Cybersecurity
Workforce Framework (NICE
Framework or NCWF)
• Aligns to Computer Science
Teachers Association (CSTA)
K-12 standards and Common
Core Standards
• Ensures access to the most in-
demand and relevant experiences
(Cybersecurity course's advisory
board)
Benefit #2: Connected and Aligned
Industry connection and standards alignment informed course development.

31. Main Components
Benefit #3: Engaging, Secure, and Responsible
Students explore operating systems in isolation and learn an ethical approach.
Ethical Approach
Well-Known Exploits
Network Security Labs
1
2
3

32. PLTW Network Security Labs Powered by AWS
Security Labs
Virtual Desktops
In browser, no additional
software or configuration
Within Courses
Custom environment,
custom activities
Safe, Secure, Isolated
All tasks embedded within
security labs
1
2
3
“PLTW Network Security Labs
provide a safe space to
explore exploits that would
not be accessible in a school’s
network environment.”

33. Network Security Lab Example
In this activity students
work through a scenario:
The “Bank of Virgil” is a
testing and training site
for employees. It allows
them to witness and
explore exploits such as
XXS and SQL injection.
Launching the Lab: Server Exploits

34. Network Security Lab Example
In this activity students
work through a scenario:
The “Bank of Virgil” is a
testing and training site
for employees. It allows
them to witness and
explore exploits such as
XXS and SQL injection.
Activity 2.3.1 Securing Ecommerce Data

35. Network Security Lab Example
Activity 2.3.1 Securing Ecommerce Data
In this activity students
work through a scenario:
The “Bank of Virgil” is a
testing and training site
for employees. It allows
them to witness and
explore exploits such as
XXS and SQL injection.

36. Network Security Lab Example
Activity 2.3.1 Securing Ecommerce Data
In this activity students
work through a scenario:
The “Bank of Virgil” is a
testing and training site
for employees. It allows
them to witness and
explore exploits such as
XXS and SQL injection.

37. Network Security Lab Example
Activity 2.3.1 Securing Ecommerce Data
How to mitigate?
• Students explore software
• Compare algorithms
• View low vs. high security
• Recognize security
measures
• Prohibit exploits

38. Preparing Teachers to Facilitate the
Cybersecurity Course
A Blended Approach

39. • Eager to learn as they teach
• Embraces the world of cybersecurity
• Tech-enthusiastic
• Exhibits excitement and curiosity
• Demonstrates a willingness to learn new
things, engage students, and lead
unmatched learning experiences
Characteristics of a Cybersecurity Teacher
Teachers do not need to have computer science or prior programing experience.

40. What Does Training Look Like?
PLTW cybersecurity professional development components include:
(30 Hours)
Prerequisite
Training
(14-24 Hours) Onsite Core
Training
(5 Days)
Job-Embedded Training
(30 Hours)
During each training component, teachers will experience the curriculum from the student perspective
as well as work to prepare themselves to effectively facilitate the course. Because of this, it is
imperative that teachers complete training as they implement the curriculum.

41. Conclusion
• Workforce needs
• Start early
• Provide relevance
• Support teachers
• Connect to college and career

42. For more information, contact:
David Greer – dgreer@pltw.org