Drexel Univ. Tapped By Army Reserve To Train Cybersecurity Specialists
By KYW Tech Editor Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Drexel University is being deployed to the front lines of the cybersecurity fight. The US Army Reserve has picked the school, along with a half-dozen others across the country, to train soldiers in the field of information warfare.
Demand outweighs supply for soldiers who are schooled on the battleground of 1s and 0s:
"You have to give them the same level of training and familiarity with the weapons set as if they were actually using small arms."
Norm Balchunas with Drexel's Cybersecurity Institute says part of what they offer is that digital version of the gun range, where reservists will be able to fieldtest offensive and defensive tools, and to experience how an enemy might respond.
One of Drexel's goals in the program is to bring together infowar expertise from other area colleges to study Philadelphia's preparedness in the face of a threat:
"Our petroleum and oil lines, our water facilities, and our network of highways and traffic monitoring -- to be able to take a look at the systems that control them and how they're integrated."
Training at Drexel will allow citizen soldiers to become specialists in the Army while working toward a cybersecurity master's or bachelor's degree.
