Design and implementation of a multi-facet hierarchical cybersecurity education framework

Shortage of qualified cybersecurity workforce is a national problem. Without an effective solution, people's daily lives, business operations, and even national security are in jeopardy. Higher education institutions have invested in various approaches to train college students to acquire cybersecurity related knowledge, skills, and abilities. The existing approaches still need improvement and refinement and do not apply universally. In this paper, we report our efforts in designing and implementing a holistic framework for cybersecurity education with the desired level of breadth and depth. The framework is hierarchical since it includes all levels of cyber citizens especially in an organizational environment. The framework is also multi-facet to include various knowledge domains. These two characteristics of the framework make it modular and extensible, which allows progressive implementation. Implementation of this framework is currently underway at a small university where resources are limited. The framework is proven useful and practical, and can be adopted in a similar setting by other institutions.