Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity

Gov. Little and his cybersecurity task force announce 18 new recommendations. They will be focusing on election integrity, protecting Idaho's infrastructure, improving the state's cybersecurity field, and enlightening public awareness.

According to the Idaho New 6 article, Little expressed that, “across our state and throughout the nation, there are few more pressing threats to our safety, security, and freedom than cyberattacks. This susceptibility makes the work of the task force so important.”

The task force believes Little should develop a cyber awareness public service campaign for the public bringing awareness to the rise of cyber attacks and the importance of cybersecurity.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more.

Our first official signing alongside !

The institute would like to Congratulate Trevor Smith for being the first student to earn a certificate from our NSA CAE Designated Program of Study.

Hospitality meets cybersecurity will cover the difficulties of being in one of the most targeted industries.

In this session, you’ll hear from Jason Stead, chief information security officer for Choice Hotels, discuss his career journey and strategy in combating endless threats.

RSVP for the in-person event using the link in our bio!

Thank you for having us at Hackfort, same time again next year?

The IPC was thrilled to take part in Hackfort by putting on the Raspberry Pi workshop, presentations covering the importance of Cybersecurity, and sharing a mutual interest of technology.

The Beyond the Classroom: A Panel on Cybersecurity will be taking place next Thursday, April 7th @ 3pm - 4pm MDT at Boise State University’s Skaggs hall in the Micron Business & Economics building.

Panelists Shawna Hofer, kaitlyn Huso, Reid Tokarz, and Edward Vasko will be discussing what a career in Cybersecurity looks like, how to develop the skills to pursue this profession, and the rewards & challenges associated with it.

View the press release about the event in our bio!

Treefort’s 5-day festival electrifying Boise is back and will be taking place on Wednesday, March 23rd through Sunday, March 27th. Treefort brings everyone together by providing a variety of forts that cater to all. One of the many forts includes Hackfort.

Hackfort is a place where innovators can come together to celebrate their passion & interest in technology. We are very excited to announce that the Institute’s partners and staff members will be holding a variety of presentations and workshops! Swipe to view the lineup!

The C^4 team is back!

Join Boise State's Competitive Cybersecurity and Cyber-physical Club on Friday, March 11th from 4 pm to 6 pm for a game of Backdoors & Breaches! You don’t have to be a member of the club to attend, anyone and everyone are welcome. Snacks will be provided.

Board member of the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity, Shawna Hofer, is featured as one of the panelists for Beyond the classroom: A panel on cybersecurity discussion. This discussion will be covering what cybersecurity looks like as a career and the skills needed to pursue it, including the rewards and challenges.

Shawna Hofer is chief information security officer (CISO) for St. Luke’s Health System. She attended Boise State for her Bachelors in Business Administration Accountancy and SDSU for her Masters of Science Accounting Information Systems. Along with her degrees, Shawna has 10 years of experience in technology and security, including 3 years serving as an Enterprise Risk Services Consultant at Deloitte & Touché, LLP.

Event Details

Beyond the Classroom: A Panel on Cybersecurity

Thursday, April 7 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm MDT
Skaggs Hall of Learning, Micron Business and Economics Building, room 1301
2360 W. University Drive
Boise, ID 83725 United States

Happy Bronco Giving Day! From March 3 - 4 you can participate in Bronco Giving Day by supporting one of the many areas within Boise State’s community. During these two days, you can donate to support clubs, sports, and a variety of other initiatives.

The Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity is a leader of innovative cybersecurity research and advancement in Idaho and the region. The Institute focuses on providing a workforce ready environment for our students. In addition, we welcome and facilitate strategic partnerships with industry, higher education, business and government to improve cybersecurity for Idaho and the nation.

Support the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity by making a donation using the link below:
https://broncosgive.boisestate.edu

“The cybersecurity market has evolved rapidly since the beginning of the pandemic, especially when it comes to identifying and developing talented cybersecurity personnel, and providing them an environment where they can make an impact, be challenged and feel successful,” said Edward Vasko, (CISSP) and Director of the Institute. “Today, Boise State and Stellar Cyber have teamed up to help our partners and our customers resolve these critical challenges.”

and Stellar Cyber announced that the IPC has adopted the Stellar Cyber Open XDR Platform for its Cyberdome skill development program. The XDR platform is a teaching tool for students and is also available to any rural or remote community that wishes to utilize it. It’s expected to help increase the number of graduates while providing enterprise-level Security-as-a-Service.

“We see our platform as a great fit for universities that want to accelerate learning and give their students real-world experience in managing cybersecurity operations,” said Jim O’Hara, Chief Revenue Officer at Stellar Cyber. “As a national leader in cybersecurity education, Boise State leverages the Stellar Cyber platform to expand educational opportunities and significantly expand its student base, to meet the critical nationwide demand for cybersecurity professionals.”

Link to article in bio!

The Hackfort Tech Challenge is open to all Boise State University students! The purpose of this challenge is for our participants to apply technology solutions to problem within the community. Participants will then pitch their solution to the problem and have a chance to win $2,500! The three finalists will also receive passes to Treefort.

Visit Boise State Venture College] ‘s link in bio to apply for the challenge and to attend the virtual info sessions!

This challenge is presented in partnership by Boise State University’s Boise State Venture College], , and .

William is a student at Boise State with an emphasis in Cybersecurity
B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics with a minor in Cybersecurity. Some of his interests include generalizations of lightweight cryptographic block ciphers and power analysis attacks on lightweight block cipher implementations.

Attend the zoom meeting tomorrow at 12 PM MST to learn more about his point of view on the discussion about the security analysis of lightweight cryptographic primitives!

Visit the link below or in our bio to attend the zoom meeting!

🔗https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute

National Security Agency awarded Boise State University with a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through 2027. We’ve earned this designation by proving our efforts in reducing threats to national infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense as well as providing the nation with a pipeline of qualified cybersecurity professionals.

“In keeping with our plan to elevate Boise State to a national level of importance on the cybersecurity stage, this designation is a great start to 2022. This designation enables collaborations with other institutions around the country, provides student access to new scholarship programs, and truly places Boise State in the upper echelon of national cyber programs.”

Link to article: https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute

Boise State Alumni and Friends Boise State Online

Welcome Back! We hope you enjoyed your winter break and are ready to take on the semester.

Learn more about the courses and degree pathways we offer by visiting the link in our bio!

Tune in to watch the CMMC 2.0: Compliance Update Panel Webinar presented by Xceptional. The Boise State Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity’s Director, Ed Vasko, will be participating in a panel discussion about the new Cybersecurity Manufacturing Maturity Certification, CMMC 2.0, being pushed by the Department of Defense. The discussion will also cover the pros and cons of the structure and what this means for businesses.

The Webinar will take place on Tuesday, December 7th, at 12:00 pm MST

Link to register & attend the event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/cmmc2-0-complianceupdatepanel6871949756478869504

Thursday November 18, 2021, the “What Does It Take To Have Resilient Infrastructure?” webinar hosted by the Hazard & Climate Resilience Institute will be taking place via zoom from 11:00 am - 12 pm MDT.

During this webinar, the panelists will be answering a few questions regarding what it takes to have resilient infrastructure. The panel includes local companies and programs such as Idaho Power, SUEZ Water, Idaho National Laboratory, and Boise State’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity. This event provides students with the opportunity to connect discipline & sectors, learn about ongoing community resilience projects, find out how to support local efforts & information needs, and interact with the panelists! 

Register for the zoom event here:
bit.ly/3p3jZB7

Happy National STEM Day, Broncos!

National STEM Day is celebrated to encourage students to explore their interests in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Boise State offers many programs that gives students the opportunity to pursue these interests! Visit our website to learn more information about how you can pursue these interests.

Brother and sister, Arsenio (pictured first) and Alondra Sarmiento (pictured second), are currently in their first year of Undergrad in the Cyber Operations and Resilience (CORe) program at Boise State University. This program prepares students to work in environments where anticipating, detecting, mitigating, and managing cyber, physical, and interdependencies infrastructure threats is crucial. Both, Arsenio and Alondra, seem to agree that courses have opened their eyes to a wide range of cybersecurity experiences and threats such as current events and the opportunity to protect others.

When asked about his decision to pursue a degree in cybersecurity, Arsenio stated, “I decided to pursue cybersecurity because I felt that it would be an exciting adventure to dive into the tech world. Especially in this age where people that have the skills being taught in the program are highly sought after.”

Alondra was previously pursuing a degree in Chemistry, but once the pandemic hit and was forced to attend classes online, she developed an interest in the world of cybersecurity. “I had no idea what cybersecurity was, so I decided to enroll in some cyber classes,” she mentioned, “I discovered that I preferred the cyber classes to any of my chemistry ones.”

Learn more about the Sarmiento sibling’s story by clicking the link below:
https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute

Boise State Online Boise State Alumni and Friends

While taking CPS 301, Informational Assurance and Critical Thinking course, with Sandy Dunn and Sin Ming Loo, Isaiah Moroshan was introduced to the world of cybersecurity and discovered a new passion. Moroshan was asked about the course and he stated, “I was hooked instantly. The class felt so exciting and relevant. I really connected with the professors. I’ve really always been interested in stuff like cyber. I remember after watching The Matrix for the first time, I was really intrigued by the idea of hacking, like problem-solving and finding workarounds...But now it’s just hacking for good!”

Moroshan enrolled in the new Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience at Boise State — a fully online program that accommodates his busy life. With a new passion and goal for the future, Moroshan intends to enroll in the online Master of Science in Cyber Operations & Resilience.

Learn more about how Isaiah plans to merge his cybersecurity knowledge with his pharmacy experience and how you can earn a cyber degree by clicking the link in our bio!

The Venture College and Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity is proud to announce our four finalists for the Cybersecurity Entrepreneur Challenge, presented in partnership with Micron & Boise State University.

Tune in today (Thursday, October 21 at 11:45 am MT) during Boise Entrepreneur Week 2021 ‘s Live Stream to watch their pitches!

The finalists are:
Lexius ( Devonne + Robert K )
Cyber Shield Elite ( Sara + Robert E + Dallin + Elizabeth )
Tac Security ( Cameron + Alexander + Tatum )
Loop ( Landon + Jesse + Gabriel )

Congratulations & good luck today! Thank you to our sponsors, Micron USA, Idaho Central Credit Union , PlexTrac + HERE Technologies

Link to view Live Stream: https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute


Boise State College of Innovation + Design

Meet Samantha (Sam) Anguiano. She is a third-year computer science student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in computer science with an emphasis in cybersecurity. Anguiano was drawn to Boise State’s diverse cybersecurity course offerings.

Before starting her college career, she first heard about the Equifax data breach that exposed 147 million people’s private information, and a global settlement of up to $425 million. Thus, sparking her interest in the complex world of cybersecurity. She finds the evolution of encryption has been especially fascinating, and hopes to work in software development and risk analysis after graduating. Her ultimate goal is to help the common computer user to gain cybersecurity competency and safety.

“I decided to study cyber at Boise State because Boise State is making major investments in furthering the field of cybersecurity as a whole by providing different programs and classes for students to grow their knowledge on cyber topics,” Anguiano said. “It also has plenty of opportunities to get hands-on experience in the cybersecurity field, many coming from the Institute of Pervasive Cybersecurity.”

Learn more about Sam’s story by checking out the 🔗 in our bio!

Our Director for the Institute, Ed Vasko, had the opportunity to serve as one of the panelists at the ‘s Air, Space, & Cyber Conference.

mentioned that the panel discussed the challenge of security demands for the Air Force and defense contractors when collaborating with academia.

Ashley Sequiera, the senior technical trainer of security operations at Palo Alto Networks, attended Sacramento Community College and received her associate’s degree in information security after serving in the Army.

After she left active duty service, Sequiera struggled to find a job that was the right fit for her. Eventually, she attended a training class for veterans at Palo Alto Networks, was offered a job, and has been with the company since. Sequiera is now augmenting her professional cybersecurity knowledge by pursuing her master’s degree in cybersecurity at Boise State University.

“For anyone who thinks they can’t do it, I’m a walking example of anything being possible,” said Sequiera. “I want to share that story and help motivate others to join me in this field.”

Learn more about Ashley’s story and the cyber program at the 🔗 below:
https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute

When Former Marine Brieann Jones was enlisted, she became acquainted with IT and computers. While serving, Jones ran the help desk, assisted with writing and creating architectural plans, and paperwork for any type of military training her unit participated in.

After serving and settling down, Jones was ready to jump back into classes and pursue a career in cybersecurity at Boise State University.

“Boise State was willing to work with me on getting as many of my transfer credits accepted. I enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Science program, which allowed me to get a CORe certificate. It all worked out perfectly,” Jones said.

Learn more about Brieann’s story and the cyber online degree program by clicking the link below:
https://linktr.ee/CyberInstitute

Join the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity (IPC) and make a difference while preparing for a career in Cybersecurity! The IPC serves as a premier driver for Idaho’s growing cybersecurity ecosystem by investing in transformative research, building competency development platforms, creating career pipelines for students, and engaging with partners both locally and nationally. Engineers will help design and implement security architecture. Analysts will help monitor network and other operations to help prevent and detect security breaches. Students will gain valuable experience to prepare for full-time roles as Information Security Engineers upon completion of their degree program and this internship.

$12.50 per hour – 15-20 hours per week

Responsibilities and Duties include:
-Plan, implement, manage, monitor, and continuously upgrade security measures for the protection of the organization's data, systems and networks.
-Troubleshoot security and network problems.
-Test and identify network and system vulnerabilities.
-Ensure that the clients’ data and infrastructure are protected by enabling the appropriate security controls.
-Daily administrative tasks including reporting and communication with relevant stakeholders including co-workers, clients, and supervisors.

Positions are open to senior year students from any major with relevant prior experience or knowledge of:
-TCP/IP Networking, concepts or practical experience.
-Use of networking tools i.e. traceroute, ping etc.
-Linux security tools, Kali Linux, Security Onion.

Only resumes are required to apply, but cover letters are extremely helpful. Application materials can be sent to [email protected]

During the month of October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Boise State Cyber Institute teamed up with Boise State University, Boise State Engineering, and NIST to bring awareness to campus. With how often we use the internet, social media, Zoom, apps, etc. in our daily lives, we want to spread the word about doing so safely.

Throughout the month, we will be posting tips and tricks to help keep your private information, finances, and sensitive data safe from hackers, cyberattacks, phishing texts, and phishing emails. Learn more by visiting our page or visiting the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Website at https://www.cisa.gov/

Already doing your part by being cyber smart? Tag , , , and and show us how you're being cyber safe!