Growing cybersecurity skills gap necessitates human factor security

Concerns of cyber security, cyber bullying, and cyber hygiene are relevant in this age of media where children are all time wired to social media and the internet. Every person needs to be aware of the steps they take to keep them safe from any kind of harm. So, to represent the needs of the cybersecurity ecosystem in the world, IEEE, IES Karachi Section Chapter in Collaboration with Higher Education Authority, Ireland successfully organized the workshop on “CYBER SKILLS” held on 23-Dec-2022 at VDC Hall, IICT Building, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro.
This workshop was organized to acknowledge people about how to detect and mitigate cyber-attacks. It provides training on Cyber Range, Analyzing Potential Malware, Identifying Live Machines, Service Identification, and Protocol Analysis.
The event started with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Afterward, Dr. Abi Waqas, organizer of the event and also serving as Branch Counselor IEEE MUET STB and Chair IEEE IES Karachi Section presented the opening remarks. He welcomed the Chief Guest, Guest speaker, teacher coordinators, and participants and started the formal proceedings of the event.
The chief guest of the event, Prof. Dr. Tuaha Hussain Ali Vice Chancellor of MUET mentioned the need for Cyber Skills in this digital world where things can’t work out without social media and the internet. He also appreciated the efforts of the whole team and the coordinators, Dr. Abi Waqas and Chief organizer Prof. Dr. Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry for arranging such a workshop through which people can be aware of the risks on social media. He also emphasized the role of IEEE in the capacity building of students and professionals. He said, IEEE has a great significance in extra co-curricular activities of this university and bought so many glories for Mehran UET and he believed that such technical activities will be proven instrumental for students in the future.
The chief coordinator of the event Prof.Dr.Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry who is also serving as CHAIR IEE KARACHI SECTION, organized this workshop to acknowledge people about the cyber range and Malware protection so that they can acquire knowledge about Cyber Security. He also expressed his positive thoughts on IEEE for being the most vibrant engineering society worldwide. Prof stressed the students focus on life-building skills along with academic knowledge and technical skills. He considered communication, interaction, and confidence as important skills when a student becomes a part of the team/organization. As of today, students are facing a lot of challenges to kick-start their careers, he called patience, tolerance, and hard work as keys to success in connecting individuals to the right Industries.
The event was joined by a renowned guest speaker who delivered his keynote virtually, Dr. Thomas Newe, he received his Honors Degree in Computer Engineering in 1991. Following this, he worked as a senior software engineer with The Microelectronics Applications Centre (MAC), in Ireland. He was awarded his Ph.D. in 2003 from the University of Limerick for work on Formal Verification Logic for use in security protocol design.
He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Limerick, group leader of the IoT/WSN Security activities in the Optical Fibre Sensors Research Centre (www.ofsrc.ul.ie) and the Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems (www.cris.ul.ie), a PI in Confirm (www.confirm.ie), and FI in the MaREI (www.marei.ie), and Lero (www.lero.ie) SFI National Research Centres.
A renowned guest Dr. Muzaffar Rao who is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Limerick (UL) conducted the workshop physically. He is also an Associated Investigator (AI) in ‘Lero – Irish Software Engineering’ and ‘CONFIRM – Smart Manufacturing research centers. He was awarded his Ph.D. in January 2017 from the University of Limerick. During his Ph.D., he worked on the hardware implementation of cryptographic algorithms/security protocols. His research interests include OT/ICS security, IT/OT integration, BitW (Bump-in-the-Wire) security, AI/ML in cybersecurity, IoTs & IIoTs, robotic automation, cyber-physical systems, and Embedded systems. His research work has resulted in several peer-reviewed publications at international conferences and Journals
He spoke about Cyber skills and the Cyber range that it is a virtual environment that allows organizations to practice cyber combat training. It’s a powerful way of replicating existing information systems to test and develop a skill set such as pen testing, network protection, system hardening, TTPs, and incident response. It is also a relevant means to raise awareness, especially among managers and board members, by showing them in a realistic manner what damages can be caused by ransomware attacks.
A successful workshop to spread awareness among the people about the cyber-attacks and how to stay protected from those attacks using the cyber range was attended by many students from different departments of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro (MUET). The Coordinators Dr.Abi Waqas Memon Chair of IEEE Karachi Section, Dr. Faheem Yar Khuhawar Associate Prof, TL, MUET. and the whole team managed to arrange such a wonderful event. A closing ceremony was arranged at the end in which all participants and volunteers were awarded certificates for their dedication. Tokens of appreciation were also presented to distinguished guests of the event.