Cybersecurity News

According to Forbes Magazine, the cybersecurity industry is facing a critical shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Given the current state of online security as well as national security, that needs to change. Yurena Burgess, Army Veteran and UCCS cybersecurity student, and Gretchen Bliss, Dir. of Cybersecurity Programs at UCCS, weigh in on this timely topic.

Given the current dearth of skilled cybersecurity workers, companies and organizations can tap a skilled and reliable source: US Veterans. CSO Magazine explores this topic with Yurena Burgess, Army Veteran and UCCS cybersecurity student, and Gretchen Bliss, Dir. of Cybersecurity Programs at UCCS.

Rocky Mountain PBS: The first of its kind in Colorado, UCCS welcomed 30 middle school students from Colorado Springs and around southern Colorado to learn the basics of cybersecurity for a week-long hands-on camp in late July. This event was conducted todo en español -- 100% in Spanish -- to ensure those more comfortable learning in their native language could learn about the opportunities available in cybersecurity.

According to the SoCo Business Forum & Digest, UCCS has built a strong Cybersecurity Ecosystem in Southern Colorado while seeking funding from the state to continue to do so. "For the past five years, UCCS has been at the forefront of developing the cybersecurity ecosystem in the Pikes Peak region. The university has been the statewide leader in opening up a workforce pipeline, collaborating with other educational institutions and conducting research to advance knowledge in the field."

Madison Schuster graduated in 2022 from UCCS with a BS in Computer Science. Having secured an internship at Stephenson Stellar Corp. while still at UCCS, Madison turned this opportunity into a full-time position as an Assistant Systems Engineer upon graduation. Learn more about Madison's pathway to a career in cybersecurity research in AI, 5G and Space!

Congratulations to the talented trio of UCCS cybersecurity students, with majors in cybersecurity from both the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Business, who placed 2nd for undergraduates in the 13th Annual Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative (DFEI) Case Competition. Ebisa Dundas, Robert Drone and Haley Huschka showed their prowess among more than 50 students from across Colorado, who put their business and ethics skills to the test. Each team presents their skills in ethics and decision-making to a panel of 12 judges from organizations across a variety of industries.

UCCS is a huge proponent of National Cybersecurity Month -- celebrated every year in October -- as it is a fabulous opportunity to reinforce key personal security habits. These include choosing strong and long passwords/passphrases, keeping software update to date, always enabling multi-factor authentication when available, and never falling prey to phishing emails. Many events are held across campus this month to reinforce these good cyber habits!

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper chaired a field hearing of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship at UCCS Cyber Center. Exploring the cybersecurity needs of small businesses across the country, the Senator chose the Colorado Springs cybersecurity community as his audience.

Two new classes in Cybersecurity Operations are announced for Fall 2023. Most importantly, these classes will utilize a new cyber range -- a hands-on training tool for students that simulates real-world scenarios. These junior, senior and grad level classes will be available for UCCS and CU Denver students thanks to a $300,000 CU Next Grant awarded in 2022 to fund new innovative technology ideas.

Gretchen Bliss, Director of Cybersecurity Programs at UCCS, was honored in June with the Gary Bostrom Community Inspiration Leadership Award from Leadership Pikes Peak (LPP). Her tireless efforts over the last decade or more in creating both opportunities and impact in cybersecurity education, workforce development, community partnerships and research in the Colorado, Colorado Springs and the nation have put UCCS on the map in cybersecurity.

Leveraging its 3rd NSA grant award in 4 years & internal UCCS funding, the Cyber Programs Office at UCCS hosted almost 100 middle school students and 16 middle- and high school teachers at 4 camps over the summer of 2023. Students learned cybersecurity basics through fun, engaging and hands-on activities, while teachers were given all the tools to bring cybersecurity education into their classrooms.

As the leader of the 10-state Northwest Hub for CAE (Centers of Academic Excellence) in Cybersecurity, as designated by the NSA, UCCS is responsible to bring cybersecurity to as many people as possible to drive education, awareness, workforce opportunities, and research in cyber. UCCS has more than fulfilled this duty, being awarded #3 in the country in May of 2023 for its CY2022 outreach efforts among more than 400 CAE schools in the US.

In collaboration with CCTI, UCCS has won a 2-year grant to develop and improve cybersecurity in the space arena as part of RISE -- the Resilient Space Infrastructures, Systems, and Economy team. This smaller $180,000 grant opens the door for larger cybersecurity and space grants in future years totaling $160m.

UCCS and our partners, National Cybersecurity Center (NCC), Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) and Spark Mindset discuss the burgeoning opportunities in cyber education, beginning with K-12 programs all the way through higher education. And all with the support of a strong ecosystem, including the US President's own Director of Cybersecurity.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a federal initiative to increase attention to, understanding of, and action regarding personal security. UCCS is all in on reinforcing the collective need to “See Yourself in Cyber,” the 2022 theme of NCSAM. Learn about cybersecurity, what it is, and how best to protect yourself online.

Not only does running a club on the UCCS campus teach you leadership and organizational skills, but as part of the Mountain Lions Cyber Club and the UCCS Chapter of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), students get firsthand knowledge of local employers and hands on experience in real world cybersecurity situations.

There are more than 400,000 open cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. Wouldn’t it be great if we could close that gap by simply adding a few classes or degrees at the university level to prepare interested students for their future careers?

On May 5, UCCS celebrated a ribbon-cutting of the O’Neil Center that will expand and improve cybersecurity education resources for not only students and faculty, but the community and cybersecurity organizations across the nation, adding over 20,000 square feet to the burgeoning facility.