Cybersecurity Consultants: Diagnose & Remediate Vulnerabilities or Policy & Compliance Review

CYB699
Closed
National University
San Diego, California, United States
Brian Epp
Associate Director of Workforce Education
(3)
5
General
  • Graduate; Capstone
  • 20 learners; teams of 4
  • 120 hours per learner
  • Dates set by experience
  • Educators assign learners to projects
Preferred companies
  • 5 projects wanted
  • Anywhere
  • Academic experience
  • Any company type
  • Any
Categories
Computer science & it Security (cybersecurity and it security)
Project timeline
  • June 3, 2024
    Experience start
  • September 1, 2024
    Experience end
Overview
Details

The National University Cybersecurity department is looking to build ongoing relationships with employers to both diagnose and remediate vulnerabilities or to evaluate existing policy to make improvement recommendations that align with federal and state requirements. For example, we envision one student cohort conducting pen testing to identify vulnerabilities and then having our next cohort remediate the vulnerabilities. Our students can also help companies evaluate and improve policy to be more in line with federal and state mandates along with any industry specific requirements.


All capstone projects integrate the concepts of cybersecurity and information assurance taught throughout the program. Project management techniques and collaboration will be emphasized along with the ethical and legal aspects of the project. Students will work on one main project over the course of three months, connecting with you as needed with virtual communication tools.


Project Flow:

Month 1 - Planning

Month 2 - Execution

Month 3 - Complete project and outbrief


  • The National Security Agency (NSA) has designated National University as a (NCAE) in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) through 2028.
Deliverables

Deliverables will vary depending on the scope of the internship/capstone. However, these deliverables must be discussed and agreed upon prior to the start.

Project Examples

Students can complete a substantial project for your organization over the placement period. We suggest providing a starting project, but there may be other duties or projects the student is asked to complete as the work proceeds. Providing a central project creates structure for the internship/capstone, and gives the student (and company) a tangible goal.


Projects that we'd like to match with generally fall within these 3 categories:

  1. Diagnose vulnerabilities through pen testing, thread analysis or mobile forensics
  2. Remediate vulnerabilities that were identified in Project Type 1. Some student teams may be able to do both 1 and 2, but we've found that often, the remediation will need to be done by a future student cohort.
  3. Evaluate a company's existing Cybersecurity policy and propose updates that will bring the company in line with federal, state and industry mandates. In cases where a policy doesn't exist, our student teams can draft a policy for approval.


Here are some other examples although many of these will end up as components of one of the 3 main project types listed above:

  • Developing a project plan that utilizes commonly accepted project management techniques.
  • Applying commonly accepted methods in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance to design, plan, and execute a Cybersecurity project.
  • Evaluating the best method or framework that meets project goals for creating a Cybersecurity solution for the Cybersecurity project.
  • Formerly presenting the project plan and proposal to project advisors and stakeholders for review.
  • Develop a comprehensive risk matrix
  • Researching new technology like quantum computing or the application of machine learning to cybersecurity
  • Evaluation of security products (firewalls, Virtual Private Network (VPN) Systems etc)
Additional company criteria

Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

Be available for a quick phone/virtual call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the internship.

Collaborate to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between your company and the university by Jun. 7, 2024.

How is your project relevant to the internship?

Provide a dedicated contact who will act as the student's primary supervisor over the duration of the virtual placement. A secondary contact should be provided as a backup.

Provide ongoing support and mentorship to students throughout the internship. Students will interact virtually with their primary contact no less than once a week.

Please provide the email addresses of team members available to support students during the project work. If you are comfortable sharing phone numbers, that would be appreciated as well.