[NCUC-DISCUSS] DiploFoundation Cybersecurity course application deadline approaches

[Virginia Paque]

(Apologies for cross-posting, but I think some of you may be interested) gp

Colleagues,

The call for applications for DiploFoundation's advanced thematic course in
Cybersecurity closes in a few days. The course starts in October.

More details about this course is available below or at
http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-security. Please share this
announcement with friends or colleagues who may be interested to apply.
Thanks!

Ginger


Cybersecurity

*Course details:*

Today’s headlines often feature the word ‘cyber’, reporting on threats
related to the virtual world: online child abuse, stolen credit cards and
virtual identities, malware and viruses, botnets and denial-of-service
attacks on corporate or government servers, cyber-espionage, and
cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure including nuclear facilities and
power supply networks.

What are the real cybersecurity challenges? What is the role of diplomacy,
international legal instruments, and regional and national policies in
addresses these threats, and how efficient are they? How does international
cooperation in cybersecurity work, and what are the roles of the various
stakeholders?

The 10-week advanced thematic course in Cybersecurity covers policy
challenges, actors, and initiatives related to cybersecurity, and
specifically to cybercrime, security of the core infrastructure,
cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, and Internet safety.

By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

   - Identify the defining features of cybersecurity, and the factors which
   shape the international issues.
   - Identify principal threats to cybersecurity; describe and analyse the
   key cybersecurity issues for users, and states.
   - Understand and analyse the Internet security issues for e-commerce
   including online banking and identity.
   - Explain the issues involved in cybercrime, its impact and
   investigation.
   - Understand the threats to the core Internet infrastructure.
   - Explain the concepts of cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, and their
   role in international Internet policy.
   - Understand and assess the challenges involved in social aspects of
   cybersecurity.
   - Explain and analyse the international frameworks for cybersecurity
   policies and strategies.

The course forms part of the Thematic Phase of Diplo’s Internet Governance
Capacity Building Programme (IGCBP) <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP>.
This phase offers in-depth courses that provide deeper understanding of a
particular issue. Other courses forming part of this phase - which may run
simultaneously or at a later date - include ICT Policy and Strategic
Planning <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-ICTstrategy>,
 E-participation <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-eparticipation>
, History of Internet Governance
<http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-history>, Infrastructure and
Critical Internet Resources
<http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-Infrastructure>, Intellectual
Property Rights <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-IPR>, and Privacy
and Personal Data Protection
<http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-Adv-Privacy>.
Excerpt from course materials

*‘...One side-effect of the rapid integration of the Internet in almost all
aspects of human activity is the increased vulnerability of modern society.
The Internet is part of the global critical infrastructure. Other core
services of modern society, such as electric grids, transport systems, and
health services are increasingly dependent on the Internet. As attacks on
these systems may cause severe disruption and have huge financial
consequences, they are frequent targets.’ *(Lexture text 4.3)
Course outline

The thematic course in Cybersecurity includes one week of hypertext
practice and platform familiarisation and introduction, and eight in-depth
course texts:

*Chapter 1. Introduction to security* discusses the historical development
of cybersecurity, and distinguishes between the common, narrow,
understanding of cybersecurity related to cyber-threats, and broader views
which include information security and ‘friendly’ cyber conquest through
technological standardisation dominance.

*Chapter 2. Cybersecurity threats and building trust* reviews common
security threats to individuals, such as malware (including spyware,
Trojans, viruses), phishing, e-scams and identity theft. To better
understand the security-enabling infrastructure, the chapter explains the
basics of the authentication and Public Key Infrastructure, including PIN
codes and other identifiers, randomly generated passwords and e-signatures,
and touches upon the challenge of identity and anonymity online. It
concludes by looking at ways to build trust in e-commerce and e-services.

*Chapter 3. Cybercrime* attempts to define and classify cybercrime while
reviewing the history of spam, viruses, intrusion, worms, Trojan horses,
denial-of-service attacks and cyber-stalking, and also analyses its
economic and social impacts. The chapter then focuses on combatting
cybercrime: existing legal frameworks at the global and regional levels,
jurisdiction challenges and various law enforcement approaches, computer
investigation and e-forensics.

*Chapter 4. Security of the core Internet infrastructure* explains briefly
how the critical components of the Internet work, and discusses the
political dimension of global security - the (unilateral) control over the
DNS - and technical vulnerabilities such as domain name hijacking, packet
interception, DNS poisoning, and DNS spoofing. The chapter also explains
the recent technological security upgrade titled DNSSec, and related
technical and policy challenges. It then looks at the expected challenges
of future networks: Internet of Things/Next Generation Networks and ‘smart
networks’.

*Chapter 5. Cyberterrorism and cyberwarfare *looks at the security and
protection of the critical infrastructure - the Internet infrastructure and
also water supply facilities, transport, industrial facilities and power
plants. It discusses cyberterrorism and possible counteracts, and analyses
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. It also discusses cyberwarfare, reviews
the attempts to codify international law with regards to cyberwar, and
refers to existing international initiatives and norms and their possible
application in cyberspace (i.e. the Geneva Conventions).

*Chapter 6. Social aspects of cybersecurity*: correlating privacy with
security is our first task in this module, with special reflection on
social media challenges. We attempt to define online safety, and scan
through the challenges of the Web 2.0 era where users are the contributors
and the Internet is ubiquitous. We then look at child safety, including
cyber-bullying, abuse and sexual exploitation, and violent games, and
discuss the ways to address these challenges through policy, education and
technology.

*Chapter 7. Internet safety*: touching upon openness and online freedoms,
we look at some of the main issues faced when dealing with Internet safety,
including objectionable and harmful content. We then analyse the
reliability of information, and look at ethics, health and gender issues.

*Chapter 8. Internet security policies and strategies:* we dive deeply into
the existing legal and policy frameworks. We start with the international
framework, including the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, the
ITU Global Security Agenda, the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative and the
OSCE. We also look at regional policies and strategies including European
Union, African Union and the Organisation of American States. We review
business initiatives in the field of cybersecurity, including initiatives
by Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, and SAFEcode, and discuss the importance and
risks of public-private partnerships.
Reviews

‘The course is updated with the latest security issues, so we have a global
view of what is going on now, and what organisations are involved at
international level in the fight against cybercriminality.’

‘... [the course lecturer] has been very encouraging to think on even the
different side which may not be very popular side. So both pros and cons of
the issues come to light in the class, encouraging deeper learning.’

*Who should apply:*

Diplo seeks applications from the following, from both developed and
developing countries:

   - Officials in government ministries, departments, judicial or
   regulatory institutions dealing with security and/or ICT-related policy
   issues (e.g. security and defence, foreign affairs, justice,
   telecommunications);
   - Experts and officials in intergovernmental, international and regional
   organisations in charge of security cooperation, justice and home affairs,
   defence or Internet and ICT policy;
   - Academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of
   security and/or Internet;
   - Professionals from the corporate sector in charge of Internet and
   security policies;
   - Journalists and staff of non-governmental organisations, covering
   issues of Internet rights and security.

This course may also be of interest to:

   - Practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in
   international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge on
   the subject, under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics.
   - Postgraduate students of diplomacy or international relations wishing
   to study topics not offered through their university programmes or
   diplomatic academies and to gain deeper insight through interaction with
   practising diplomats.

*Methodology:*

This course is conducted online over a period of ten weeks, including one
week of classroom orientation, eight weeks of dynamic class content and
activities, and one week for the final assignment. Reading materials and
tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. Each
week, participants read the provided lecture texts, adding comments,
references, and questions in the form of hypertext entries. The tutor and
other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction
based on the lecture text. During the week, participants complete
additional online activities (e.g. further discussion via blogs or forums
or quizzes). At the end of the week, participants and tutors meet online in
a chat room to discuss the week’s topic.

Courses are based on a collaborative approach to learning, involving a high
level of interaction. This course requires a minimum of 7-8 hours of study
time per week.

Participants are invited to join Diplo’s global Internet governance online
community of over 1,400 members, and to attend monthly webinars and other
IG-related events and activities.

The course materials, the e-learning platform, and the working language of
the course is English. Applicants should consider whether their reading and
writing skills in English are sufficient to follow postgraduate level
materials and discussion.

*Prerequistes:*

Applicants for the certificate course must have:

   - Either completed the course Introduction to Internet Governance, or
   have equivalent knowledge of Internet governance issues, or experience in
   the field, or experience of the multistakeholder approach in international
   affairs;
   - Sufficient ability in the English language to undertake postgraduate
   level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex
   concepts with other course participants, and submitting written essay
   assignments);
   - Regular access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient,
   although broadband is preferable);
   - A minimum of 7-8 hours commitment per week, and the readiness to
   participate in class online sessions (once a week at specified times).

*Fees:*

Course fees:

   - €650 (Diplo Certificate Course)

Applicants must pay full fees upon official acceptance into the course. The
fee includes:

   - Full tuition
   - Course orientation pack where applicable (optional readings)
   - Access to all course materials online, via Diplo’s online classroom
   - Personal interaction via the online classroom with course lecturers,
   staff and other participants
   - Online technical support
   - For Diplo Certificate Courses, postgraduate-level certificate issued
   by DiploFoundation on successful completion of course requirements
   (interaction and participation, all assignments)

Financial assistance

A limited number of partial scholarships (maximum 20%) will be offered to
participants from developing and emerging countries. Participants who would
like to apply for financial assistance must upload the following documents
with their application:

   - a CV or resumé;
   - a motivation letter outlining relevant professional and educational
   background, and interest in the course.

As Diplo's ability to offer scholarship support is limited, candidates are
strongly encouraged to seek scholarship funding directly from local or
international institutions. Our guide to *Finding Scholarships for Online
Study <http://www.diplomacy.edu/poolbin.asp?IDPool=725> *may provide you
with some useful starting points.

*How to apply:*
Applicants for certificate courses should apply online.
<http://learn.diplomacy.edu/registration/register.php>

Late applications will be considered if there are spaces available in the
course. Please e-mail ig at diplomacy.edu to request a deadline extension.

*Learn more* about certificate and accredited courses
<http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/learning/programmes>, and about learning
with Diplo <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/learning>.
------------------------------
Cancellation Policy

Diplo reserves the right to cancel this course if enrolment is
insufficient. In case of cancellation, Diplo will notify applicants shortly
after the application deadline. Applicants who have paid an application fee
may apply this fee towards another course or receive a refund.
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