TBIP Companies Hear Cyber Security Presentation | Posted 03/23/2007

Rose State University Computer Information Technology Professor Ken Dewey was the guest speaker at a recent luncheon hosted by Tinker Business & Industrial Park for TBIP tenant company managers. Speaking on cyber security, Dewey also shared information about Rose State's participation in a cyber security research and education consortium called the Oklahoma Center for Information Assurance and Forensics Education (OCIAFE).

The $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation is being utilized to develop training programs for cyber security research and education. OCIAFE members include the University of Tulsa, OSU-Okmulgee, Rose State College, Oklahoma City Community College, the Oklahoma Career Tech Centers and Tulsa Community College, Dewey explained.

In an earlier public announcement of the NSF funding award, Commerce Secretary Kathy Taylor said that with the creation of the OCIAFE consortium, Oklahoma becomes only the second state in the nation to create a center for computer security and workforce development.

"Students graduating from cyber security programs at Rose State are an excellent potential resource for Tinker Air Force Base and area defense contractors such as our TBIP Tenant companies, many of whom work on federal programs involving Homeland Security or other similar projects which may require information assurance," TBIP Managing General Partner Warren Thomas remarked.

Information assurance is a discipline involving the protection and defense of information, computer systems and networks. Digital forensics is the science of extracting, examining and preserving digital evidence.

Introduced in the fall of 2004, Rose State offers an A.A.S. Degree in Networking and Cyber Security, with over 50 students currently majoring in the degree program. The degree program with networking as the core, also includes courses in Computer Security, Secure Electronic Commerce, Enterprise Security Management, Secure System Administration/Certification, Computer and Network Forensics, Dewey said.

As an example of some of the cyber security education program components, during his talk Dewey presented a number of examples of identity theft. The information was gathered during a class assignment where students were instructed to find examples of what should be considered confidential information, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, vehicle VIN numbers, and other information in "public" places.

The students found a wide variety of bank documents, mortgage documents, vehicle registration information, payroll information, insurance information and more, demonstrating how businesses, without appropriate security measures in place to protect customer information, unwittingly toss out confidential information that can easily be obtained and used by identity thieves.

Prior to Dewey's cyber security discussion, TBIP tenants heard a presentation from Heidi Heilhecker, Rose State Engineering Professor, who discussed engineering degree programs at Rose State. Representing Booz Allen Hamilton, TBIP's newest tenant company, Rex Jordan also provided meeting attendees with a briefing on BAH programs and capabilities.