Institute For Cyber Security

Penn Highlands is committed to protecting user confidentiality and guarding the institution against cyber security threats. The College has a full Information Security Plan that can be obtained in full from the College’s Information Technology Department.

industry advisory board

The Industry Advisory Board serves to assist faculty in maintaining program effectiveness and responsiveness to workforce needs. Board members provide important feedback to program review and new development. Current Industry Advisory Board members represent the below organizations.

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization. CTC collaborates with its technology transition affiliate, Enterprise Ventures Corporation, to provide transformative, full lifecycle solutions through research, development, test, and evaluation work.

Martin-Baker America manufacture, sell, and maintain ejection and crashworthy seat products within the United States and Canada. The American unit oversees the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) activities for all applicable Department of Defense platforms.

Bering Straits Native Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), BSNC provides a unique opportunity to partner with an indigenous organization whose mission goes beyond business. BSNC owns more than 20 subsidiaries, offering global logistical and support services.

In-Shore Technologies, Inc. is a full-service technology consulting firm, providing IT support and design services, including WAN/LAN design and administration, PC support, web development and help desk services to local and state private and public sector businesses. In-Shore Technologies staff have worked on some of the largest networks and projects in the industry.

Hiram G. Andrews Center offers quality individualized post-secondary education, pre-employment transition and support services to customers as they determine and pursue individualized goals of employment and independence. The center conducts a comprehensive program of services featuring the integration of pre-employment transition services, education, counseling, evaluation, therapy and physical maximization in a barrier-free environment.

Westmoreland County Community College’s mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone we serve through education, training and cultural enrichment. WCCC offers over 100 programs across all locations and serves residents in three western Pennsylvania counties.

Activities – cybersecurity club

Events 

• Community Event
• BSides Flood City
• Cybersecurity Workshop

 Upcoming Events

• Student Boot Camp
• BSides Flood City

Information Security Committee

Penn Highlands has a committee assigned to continually monitor and implement key security measures to protect the institution. The members of the committee are:

• Matt Hoffman (Chief Information Officer)
• John Zlater (Cloud Analyst)

Risk Management

There are internal and external risks associated with the security of Penn Highlands systems and the confidentiality of its users. These risks include, but are not limited to:

• Loss of data integrity
• Physical loss of information/data in a disaster or otherwise
• Unauthorized requests for confidential information
• Unauthorized access of confidential information by employees
• Unauthorized transmission of confidential info through third parties
• Viruses/Malware and/or errors introduced into our systems
• Compromised system security by an unauthorized person
• Unauthorized access of confidential system by a non-owner

This list is not a complete list of risks associated with the protection of confidential information. Risks can be introduced into a system at any time because technology is constantly changing and new. IT will monitor these risks regularly and address any issues that may be uncovered.

Policies and Standards

Penn Highlands has an Acceptable Use Policy and Cloud Policy that are approved by the Board of Trustees of the college. They are located in a public area that all users of the system can view. The acceptable use policy must be accepted once a user signs into a college computer and/or wireless access point.

Information Security Incident Response

Incidents are reported via the Penn Highlands IT Help Desk via telephone and/or submitting the issue via our ticketing system. If the incident is of an urgent nature, the end user is to call the Chief Information Officer’s desk and/or cell phone immediately 24/7.

LINKS TO CYBERSECURITY NEWS

• https://krebsonsecurity.com/
• https://thehackernews.com/
• https://threatpost.com/
• https://isc.sans.edu/
• https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber/news

Professional Organizations

• Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)
• International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2
• Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
• CompTIA
• Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

Industry Organizations

• National Security Agency
• National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Computer Security Division (CSD) Resource Center (CSRC)
• Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon University CERT Division at CMU-SEI