Center for Cybersecurity & Technology

Gain hands-on, practical experience in cybersecurity and technology. Learn to become a “cyber warrior” while working with area businesses on their network and software security issues.

CCT is a member of The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics.

Hackerspace

Opening in 2017, the Center for Cybersecurity and Technology (CCT), which goes by the nickname “Hackerspace,” is a collaboration between the management, information systems and analytics (MISA) department and computer science department faculty. The center hosts cybersecurity projects and research to offer students hands-on opportunities to practice skills learned in the classroom. Students from the cybersecurity track in MIS and from computer security majors intern at the center.

The center conducts an outreach program to local high schools to encourage students to pursue careers in cybersecurity by engaging them in projects with SUNY Plattsburgh students. In addition, the center will become an internet security resource for local businesses and nonprofit organizations. A think tank of sorts, the CCT will be a go-to place for START-UP NY businesses to engage with our students, host internships, and get information about the technology infrastructure available in the North Country.

And, the center hosts an annual cybersecurity conference which brings the best minds in cybersecurity and technology to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. You don’t want to miss it.

If you work for a local business that wants to support our program, this is a great cause to help future “cyber warriors” that will protect our national infrastructure. If you are a nonprofit and you are worried about your computer network security and your data privacy, you can get free advice from the center.

Hands-On Skills

With the CCT, the college added the necessary hands-on, practical experience that students need to supplement their classroom learning. Adding to our existing infrastructure, which includes an MIS and a computer science lab, the center will have a flexible computer network managed by the student interns. Students work on configuring firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), network monitoring and creation of a malware analysis virtual lab. Future expansion will include digital forensics platforms to support our local law enforcement partners.

Governance

The center is dedicated to a strong relationship with the business community and to directly support and provide qualified candidates for future cyber positions in the industry. The governance of the CCT is composed of members from the business community with interest in cyber and information systems along with our cyber/information system faculty and a START-UP NY representative.

Student Internships

Student interns have the infrastructure to experiment with security tools and “legally hack” without causing any permanent damage to a network. While experimenting and testing commercially available security tools, the center makes a commitment to open source tool development. Interns will join the open source community in building security tools that are freely available on the internet.

Ethical Hackers

An ethical hacker is a person who “hacks” a computer network in order to test or evaluate its security, rather than with malicious or criminal intent. This is usually done with prior permission from the network owner. Our students abide by the Ethical Hacker Code and sign an agreement in order to work at the CCT. The code clearly prescribes that students will only engage in legal “hacking” with prior authorization. The CCT network allows students to test security software and to make changes to firewall rules and intrusion detection systems.

Academic Alliances

Join our list of supporters and collaborators:

Twinstate Technologies
Palo Alto Networks
Dell EMC
Sophos
Red Hat

Featured Alumnus

Joe DeSalvo

Chief Security Officer, The Blackstone Group

“Many organizations have inadequate data protection strategies, which, when combined with the large number of devices with access to sensitive data, and the increasing use of mobile devices to store and access sensitive data, present a challenge that becomes nearly impossible to manage… Plattsburgh’s new Center for Cybersecurity and Technology will play an important role in preparing this generation of students to manage and solve this new challenge. Cyber security has gone from a technology based problem to the board room, not only because of the massive spending that companies deploy for prevention, but also because of the negative publicity that comes with cyber breaches, which can be crippling to a company’s reputation.”

Passion Required — “Hackers” Wanted