The Institute of Cybersecurity hosted a showcase of the Charles Stamp Cyber Command Center on Thursday, Oct. 16, allowing students, faculty, SEMO alumni and local IT specialists the opportunity to learn about the first cyber command center to be built west of the Mississippi River.
The Stamp Cyber Command Center, developed in partnership with the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), is one of the first of its kind in the state of Missouri.
While many other universities have cybersecurity labs, cyber ranges and centers, SEMO’s command center is uniquely equipped with three types of cyber consoles, 27 workstations, a 27-foot display wall and a high-quality surround-sound system that projects high-fidelity audio from the main console area into the observation room.
This cyber center is used to provide hands-on, immersive training to cybersecurity students. It simulates real, live cyber threats– such as network breaches, malware infections and ransomware attacks– to help in the development of key problem-solving and incident-response skills required of them in the cybersecurity workforce.
Sophomore cybersecurity major and vice president of the Cyber Defense Club, Logan Schultz, was one of two student speakers at Thursday’s event. He spoke on his experiences using the command center and several ways it is used in student learning and program events.
“Having a facility like this gives you experience in a more structured environment, to guide how you do things and what to expect in a real-world team,” Schultz said.
The showcase was hosted in light of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a nationwide campaign aimed at helping the public understand and avoid dangers online. It was also scheduled to fall within the same week as President Brad Hodson’s inauguration.
“Cybersecurity awareness is really important because it’s increasing every day [to be] one of the largest issues that can affect people severely,” said senior cybersecurity major Samuel Brucker, president of the Cyber Defense Club, and the event’s second student speaker.
Brucker said that the command center aims to benefit both students and the community.
“We want to bring people in and show them what we’re all about– what things we’re working on with students, how successful our students are, what they’re getting to do and what they’re going to learn. And then, of course, what we can do for everyone else,” Brucker said, “The whole goal of the cyber command center isn’t just to improve how our students are learning, it’s also to improve how we can help the community.”
Director of the Institute of Cybersecurity and the director of the Charles Stamp Cyber Command Center, Mario Garcia, said that it is incredibly beneficial to have this high-tech, first-of-its-kind facility at SEMO.
“It’s important for our students, because they have one of the best facilities in the United States. Students have access to the problems that the industries and businesses are facing,” Garcia said. “The other benefit of having a center like this is for the community, because one of the most important objectives of the command center is to create cybersecurity awareness.”
Garcia advocated for community awareness of the risks and threats of living in a digital world.
“Starting with young children– to learn about cyber bullying, sexual predators, information that they can share, how to use a social network– all the way to senior citizens, which are the main target of hackers.”