Boise State ‘CyberDome’ program bolsters rural cybersecurity

BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State University's Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity is looking to bolster cybersecurity in rural communities throughout the Gem State.

The institute launched the CyberDome Program in July 2021 to pair cybersecurity students with rural communities, cities and businesses in need of the service. The idea is to provide students with real-world experience and protect valuable data and infrastructure in the process, according to CyberDome Director Edward Vasko.

"[Rural communities] don't necessarily have the cyber expertise on hand to do the necessary monitoring, detecting and response to potential cyber adversaries," Vasko said. "Our adversaries are persistent. They are active."

Rural communities in particular are vulnerable because of their increased likelihood of not having a robust cybersecurity team. The program has 24 students working as interns for their clients. Clients include the City of Sun Valley, Vasko said.

Students are paid for their work through a three-year, $2.1 million grant from the Higher Education Research Council. This grant also allows Boise State University to conduct research in an effort to further advance the field of cybersecurity.

Nationwide, 60,000 cybersecurity jobs are vacant, according to Vasko. More than 3,000 of those vacancies are in Idaho. Roughly one in every three jobs are unfilled in the field.

These stats concern Vasko as cyber adversaries are becoming more advanced. Some hackers are so advanced, they operate as a traditional business and even franchise out expansion.

"I'll use sports. We are only able to put six players on the baseball field. While our team is good, we're competing against the best possible team the New York Yankees have ever fielded." Vasko said. "We need more qualified workers specifically on the defensive side."

CyberDome aims to equip its students with the necessary knowledge and experience to translate directly to the workforce.

"You're talking about people’s lives. Literally their finances are involved. Their health care is involved," CyberDome Team Lead, Jeff Crawford, said. "Electrical grid and everything that we take for granted as modern society can all be taken down with just a couple hacks."

The program is not exclusive to Boise State students as it aims to be a valuable training ground for the whole state. Students from the University of Idaho and College of Western Idaho are also represented in CyberDome.

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