In two years’ time the first “army of cyber warriors” is due to be trained and ready to enter the war against Internet terrorists, hackers and data thieves.
Militaristic language like that is frequently used at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) when referring to its Cyber Security course. Protecting the Internet has become a matter of national security in the US.
UMUC began offering a bachelors degree and two masters programs in Internet security last autumn. It’s a new field of study with the potential to fill a hole in the market. Within a short period hundreds of people expressed an interest in taking up the course.
There is enormous demand for such specialists at the moment and it’s likely to rise even further. Whether it’s administration, government bodies or the private economy, there are networks and systems everywhere that need to be protected, data secured and digital intruders stopped in their tracks.
“Cyber security is a very serious issue. Our aim is to train or teach a generation of professionals how to protect our cyber assets,” says Alan Carswell who heads up the program at UMUC.
Wireless broadband networks exist everywhere in the US, both in the private and public sectors. Schools, clinics, transport and not least business and government would not be possible without a constantly functioning computer network. Cyber security affects countless areas from the search for friends in social networks such as Facebook to the financial markets on Wall Street.
Attacks on those systems can have catastrophic consequences, according to Carswell. They range from simple data theft to life-threatening situations such as the manipulation of air traffic control that could kill hundreds of people.
Cyber security has been viewed as a national challenge for a long time in the US. In May 2009, shortly after taking office, President Barack Obama declared…