CSSIA - Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance

About CSSIA

The Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA) originated in 2003 and is a Regional Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center for Cyber Security and Information Assurance.

CSSIA advances Cyber Security education programs at the secondary and post-secondary levels by providing innovative teaching and learning opportunities through skills based student competitions and faculty professional development.

Skills based competitions promote problem solving and teamwork skills, provide an opportunity for students to showcase their talents, and offer a unique opportunity for students and faculty to interact with Cyber Security professionals.

CSSIA has developed a successful model for partnering with industry and academia in developing and operating innovative skills based competitions. These competitions result in program improvements and support the capacity building necessary to meet the critical national need for Cyber Security technicians.

CSSIA Collegiate Cyber Exercise Event (CCEE) 2010

This one-day event will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield. The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for full-time students attending Illinois colleges and universities to expand their computer security education through simulations of cyber attacks against Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CI/KR). This hands-on exercise will include an academic lesson and engage the next generation of cyber security professionals in Cyber Storm scenarios. Up to 64 students from across the state of Illinois may register to participate in this event.

For more information or to register see http://www.cssia.org/ccee2010/

CSSIA Connects Newsletter

CSSIA is proud to bring you news quarterly regarding current and future events. Take a look to hear what students are keeping busy with in the Winter 2010 issue or learn more about the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions.

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Spring 2010 (pdf) (Newly posted as of June 21, 2010)

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Fall/Winter 2010 (pdf)

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Summer 2009 (pdf)

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Spring 2009 (pdf)

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Winter 2009 (pdf)

CSSIA Connects Newsletter Fall 2008 (pdf)

Teaching Technicians Faculty Development Partner

CSSIA has several training opportunities for faculty throughout the year BUT did you know that the National Science Foundation has several other supported projects nationally. To see all NSF opportunities go to http://www.teachingtechnicians.org/ and check it out. Some will link back to us but many many others will direct you around the country to others great workshops. Great Resource!

See: http://www.teachingtechnicians.org/

UIS Designated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education

The University of Illinois at Springfield has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) for academic years 2009 through 2014. The award was made by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security , joint sponsors of the CAEIAD program. "This award gives UIS the prestige of having a role in securing our nation's information systems," said Dr. Ted Mims, chair of UIS' Computer Science Department and Director of the Center of Systems Security and Information Assurance within the department. For full text of the article click here.

CSSIA Faculty and Professional Development 2009

Each summer and for the past six years, CSSIA has trained over 1200 educators by offering a wide range of Cyber Security workshops at little or no cost to faculty. These workshops are geared towards providing college and university faculty with the tools and skills required to teach numerous topics in Information Assurance and Forensics technologies. Summer 2009 schedule. *Note: Workshops are constantly being added so please check back as changes are posted.

CSSIA CERT-SIA Collaboration

CERT has published their academic curriculum for colleges and universities interested in teaching and building a comprehensive information assurance program. It is free for qualified faculty on request (Click Here).

The CERT-SIA courses have been mapped to the national standards set by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals, NSTISSI 4011, and System Administrators (SA), CNSSI 4013, entry level meet approximately 95% of the objectives. Also, check out https://www.vte.cert.org/vteweb/. CERT's Virtual Training Environment has many wonderful asynchronous training modules in information assurance. See also CERT's Organizational Security page; lots of good info.

Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC)

The Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) system is designed to provide institutions with an information assurance or computer security curriculum in a controlled, competitive environment to assess their student's depth of understanding and operational competency in managing the challenges inherent in protecting a corporate network infrastructure and business information systems. Applications for teams to participate in one of three Midwest 2010 State CCDC competitions are now being accepted. Your institution may apply by completing an application from the links below. Simply go to the www.mwccdc.org web site and select the state in which your institution resides to start the application process.

Official Midwest Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) Website

Photos from the Spring 2009 Regional Competition

Check out our informational videos CSSIA Education or CSSIA Outreach.

CSSIA Collaboration

We encourage your collaboration. Our web resources are still under development so please contact us if you cannot find what you are looking for.

Contact the CSSIA Main Office M-F 8-3pm CST (708) 974-5725 or email Erich Spengler - Executive Director at spengler@morainevalley.edu for information.

9000 West College Parkway, Palos Hills, Illinois 60465

CSSIA Resource and Project Centers