Community Colleges Respond to Cyber Threats

Headlines describing massive data breaches at multinational corporations are commonplace these days. However, virtually all employers are vulnerable to similar attacks. Stolen employee information, customer data, or industry secrets can lead to identity theft, compromised financial information, or even cyberterrorism. While the tech industry and research universities have key roles to play in adapting to this threat, community colleges also have a pivotal role to play in “Information Assurance.” The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have established the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) program to recognize colleges that are at the forefront in education and research on information assurance. This designation, first created in 1998, recognizes colleges that have integrated core cybersecurity/information assurance concepts into their programs. In 2010, a category was added for two-year colleges (CAE2Y)