Cybersecurity at UAlbany

 

 

Faculty with research and/or teaching interests related to cybersecurity or digital forensics

 

Victor Asal, Associate Professor, Political Science https://www.albany.edu/rockefeller/faculty_pos_asal.shtml

 

Pradeep K. Atrey, Assistant Professor, Computer Science https://www.albany.edu/cci/pradeep-atrey.php

 

George Berg, Associate Professor, Computer Science  https://www.albany.edu/cci/george-berg.php

 

Peter Bloniarz, Associate Professor of Computer Science https://www.albany.edu/cci/peter-bloniarz.php

 

Justin Giboney, Assistant Professor, Information Technology Management https://www.albany.edu/business/55319.php

 

Sanjay Goel, Associate Professor, Information Technology Management and Informatics Affiliated Faculty https://www.albany.edu/business/Sanjay_Goel.php

 

Yuan Hong, Assistant Professor, Information Technology Management https://www.albany.edu/business/56251.php

 

Rey Koslowski, Associate Professor, Political Science and Informatics Affiliated Faculty https://www.albany.edu/~rk289758/

 

Siwei Lyu, Associate Professor, Computer Science https://www.albany.edu/cci/siwei-lyu.php

 

Amirreza Masoumzadeh, Assistant Professor, Informatics http://www.masoumzadeh.net

 

Brian Nussbaum, Assistant Professor, Public Administration and Policy https://www.albany.edu/rockefeller/faculty_pad_nussbaum.shtml

 

 

 

Courses dealing with cybersecurity and digital forensics

 

 

Courses listed in the Graduate Bulletin (and links to course syllabi when available):

 

Pos 554 (Pad 554) Political Violence, Insurgency, and Terrorism

This course examines the relationships among, and differences between the following activities in the international political system: political violence, insurgency, and terrorism. The course will include a consideration of the causes of these activities, their effects on national and international politics, and an evaluation of governmental responses to them.

 

Pos 585 (Pad 585, Inf 585) Information Technology and Homeland Security

This course examines the political, legal and policy aspects of the use of information technologies by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), non-technological dimensions of information collection, use and management and the use of technologies other than computing in the homeland security domain. The course is focused on information technology use by the US federal government but will also examine state and local governments and other countries as well as international issues such as information sharing and international technical standards.

Syllabus: Koslowski_POS_585_Spr_2012

 

Pad 545 Principles and Practices of Cyber Security

This course provides a broad introduction to cyber security and the way in which cyber security is viewed, studied, or executed by professionals in industry, government, the military, and academia. For students that approach the topic from a policy or management perspective, this class will enhance your understanding of the interaction between social, technical, policy, and management factors that affect the creation and management of secure cyber infrastructure. A brief introduction to the technical side of cyber security will be provided. The course will offer technically advanced students an opportunity to better understand the management, policy, and political equities involved in cyber security. Students approaching the subject from either the technical or policy/management perspectives will be equipped to take a more advanced technical courses in a multitude of disciplines that make up cyber security.

 

Pad 546 Homeland Security Risk Analysis and Risk Management

This course looks at the various risks that homeland security professionals and researchers are forced to grapple with, including the various threats, vulnerabilities and consequences associated with these risks.  It examines important homeland security policy areas through a risk analysis framework, with an emphasis on issues like infrastructure protection and resilience, cybersecurity, terrorism, and the implications of catastrophic disasters (both naturally occurring and human-caused disasters).  In each of the policy areas of concern, the class will discuss both the risks that exist, but also risk mitigation strategies; including the building of capabilities for preparedness, prevention, protection, response, and recovery. 

 

Pad 569 Cyber Threats and Intelligence

Cyber threats currently are posed by state and non-state actors whose motivations include financial gain, notoriety, social activism, espionage and even revenge. This course will examine cyber threats from different angles to introduce students to today's actors, motivations, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and mitigation techniques, while providing insight into the impact of cyber crime on victim organizations and employees. A variety of case studies will be used to study how TTPs are applied, and aid students in understanding attack consequences, responding agency abilities, and the various protection, mitigation, and remediation measures. The course will also examine models of cyber activity, as well as how models from other fields can be applied to thinking about cyber threats. The objective of the course is to provide students with a foundation for leading their organization in prevention mitigation, and remediation of cyber attacks.

 

 

 

Courses listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin (and links to course syllabi when available):

 

POS 343 (PAD 343) Homeland Security

This undergraduate survey course introduces students to the US government response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, specifically, the second largest reorganization of the executive branch that produced the US Department of Homeland Security. Topics examined include border and transportation security, customs, immigration policy and enforcement; preparedness and capabilities building, response and resilience; critical infrastructure protection; threat and vulnerability assessment and risk management; cyber security; counter-terrorism. Although the course is primarily focused on US federal government activities, it will also examine state and local dimensions of homeland security as well as US government interactions with other countries in the homeland security domain. Only one version of R POS 343 may be taken for credit.

 

POS 368 Information Technology and World Politics

Broad overview of the information revolution and its political consequences. Examines the impact of information technologies on diplomacy, global security, the international political economy, and international organization with a particular emphasis on the use of administrative information systems and the Internet by governments and other public sector organizations.