Cyber Boot Camp: Lessons Learned
What happens when 50 young people spend a week in the trenches with cybersecurity researchers from ESET? One picture is worth a thousand words. Here are seven.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt6d90778a997de1cd/blte03bd3fc027006d1/64f0dcc8e8ab1549501faf4a/cybercamp1.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Today’s young adults are growing up in a world where computers are essential to the way we live, where data breaches seem to be a weekly occurrence, and the world’s top businesses ward off cyber attacks daily. Solving the STEM gap starts with taking young people with a demonstrated aptitude and interest in technology and giving them the opportunity to experience for themselves what it means to work in a particular field.
Cyber Boot Camp, an annual, week-long, intensive program sponsored by ESET, is one example of such an opportunity. It's a place where students get hands-on experience from experts in the field to find out what it means to be a cybersecurity professional. By educating young people early and often, ESET researchers say they help mold mindful citizens who can inform their family and friends and open their eyes to a career path they might not otherwise discover.
In June, more than 50 young people had the chance to get their hands dirty at ESET’s Cyber Boot Camp at National University and other sites in San Diego. These students learned skills and lessons every aspiring cybersecurity researcher needs to know. What follows are highlights and takeaways from the week, as recounted by the Boot Camp faculty.
As technology evolves, hackers will constantly find new ways to attack. Drones, for example, can be used by cyber criminals to carry things like Wi-Fi extenders, ESET security researcher Cameron Camp explained to his students in this photo. At camp, they learned how businesses think about integrating drones into company strategy -- and how security should be baked into these systems.
Cyber jobs are not just in the computer science field. Cybersecurity is vital to protecting our critical infrastructure, which includes everything from parking meters and stoplights to complex computer systems used by law enforcement. A National Guard instructor drove that point home while outlining the role cybersecurity plays in national security and emergency response. As we become more connected and attack surfaces grow, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important in a wide range of industries.
Many students are not learning the skills they need to go after these high-tech security careers. College Board reports that only 10 percent of K-12 schools teach computer science, meaning that students have varying abilities when they get to college -- or none at all. To ensure that our younger generation has the skills required for these jobs, it is important that we create opportunities to offer supplemental education.
Many students are not learning the skills they need to go after these high-tech security careers. College Board reports that only 10 percent of K-12 schools teach computer science, meaning that students have varying abilities when they get to college -- or none at all. To ensure that our younger generation has the skills required for these jobs, it is important that we create opportunities to offer supplemental education.
Today’s young adults are growing up in a world where computers are essential to the way we live, where data breaches seem to be a weekly occurrence, and the world’s top businesses ward off cyber attacks daily. Solving the STEM gap starts with taking young people with a demonstrated aptitude and interest in technology and giving them the opportunity to experience for themselves what it means to work in a particular field.
Cyber Boot Camp, an annual, week-long, intensive program sponsored by ESET, is one example of such an opportunity. It's a place where students get hands-on experience from experts in the field to find out what it means to be a cybersecurity professional. By educating young people early and often, ESET researchers say they help mold mindful citizens who can inform their family and friends and open their eyes to a career path they might not otherwise discover.
In June, more than 50 young people had the chance to get their hands dirty at ESET’s Cyber Boot Camp at National University and other sites in San Diego. These students learned skills and lessons every aspiring cybersecurity researcher needs to know. What follows are highlights and takeaways from the week, as recounted by the Boot Camp faculty.
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