The national shortage of software developers who lack basic cybersecurity skills is well-documented. This shortage is
a result of a divergence between career technical education and traditional academic degree paths. On the one hand,
many IT professionals understand the technical aspects of cybersecurity, from installing firewalls to forensics, but
require additional software development skills. On the other hand, computer scientists/developers (i.e., those who
have pursued standard academic training) understand software development but lack adversarial thinking (AT) skills.
The goal of this project is to increase cyber awareness by helping students to develop AT skills. This project will
investigate the impact of using AT in introductory computing courses for computer science and non-computer science
majors. By infusing AT education in computing programs at the community and technical college level, this project
will enhance the first two years of education in computing and increase the number of qualified software developers
in the borderland of El Paso, Texas.
This project will address the minimal emphasis on AT knowledge and skills in the fundamentals of computer science
courses by infusing AT and analytics within the curriculum and developing extracurricular activities to provide
community practice through experiential learning. New initiatives include the development of a computer science
course for non-majors that will introduce AT in a multidisciplinary environment; the infusion of AT modules in the
fundamentals of computer science courses; professional development opportunities for students, instructional
assistants, and professionals to learn about AT concepts in computing; and the development of student competitions
(also known as Hackathons). This project will provide novel pedagogical teaching based on AT and analytics as an
extension of computational thinking. Best practices and content material will be shared in a public repository,
accessible to educators worldwide. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that
focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the
Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Research
Fundamentals Computer Science: Adversarial Computing
Need for Cybersecurity Concepts in Software Development
There is a national deficiency in software developers possessing adversarial thinking abilities is evident within
the field of computing. This scarcity has created a disconnect between Career Technical Education (CTE) and
Academic Degrees. On one hand, many IT professionals who come from CTE programs have a strong grasp of
cybersecurity, including areas like forensics, intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and networks, but they lack
essential software development skills. Conversely, computer scientists and developers with academic degrees excel
in software development but often lack crucial adversarial thinking skills. Consequently, there is a pressing
demand for software developers who combine adversarial thinking abilities with the capacity to design, develop,
and implement secure software, thereby fortifying organizational computing systems.
Adversarial Thinking is the Computational Thinking++
In the context of the Cybersecurity Curricular Guidelines (CSEC 2017) [1], Adversarial Thinking is recognized as a
foundational concept that permeates various domains within the cybersecurity curriculum. However, given the
evolving landscape of computer science education, including the integration of emerging fields like cybersecurity
sciences, the appeal of teaching this concept across all computing disciplines varies. One specific course, often
referred to as Fundamentals of Computer Science or CS 1, is offered in both two-year and four-year educational
institutions. This course caters not only to computer science majors but also to students pursuing
computing-related degrees such as data analytics, cybersecurity, data science, or various CS + X programs. The CS
1 has become a cornerstone for many computing disciplines in contemporary education. Given the widespread
popularity of CS 1, there exists a demand to introduce concepts that extend beyond basic computational thinking.
In this paper, we put forth the notion of Adversarial Thinking, a concept that, when coupled with computational
thinking, can equip future programmers with the skills to consider risk analysis at every stage of code
development.
The Contribution
The xAI Institute at El Paso Community College actively is researching the identification of adversarial thinking
concepts within the core fundamentals of computer science. In this paper, we delve into the aspects related to CS
1.
References
[1] Joint Task Force on Cybersecurity Education. Cybersecurity Curricula 2017: Curriculum Guidelines for
Post-Secondary Degree Programs in Cybersecurity. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 2018.
Work presented at the 30th Joint
UTEP/NMSU Workshop on Mathematics, Computer Science, and Computational Sciences University of Texas at El Paso.
El Paso, Texas. Saturday, October 28, 2023
Misinformation Analytics
Adversarial thinking refers to a mindset or approach that involves actively considering potential threats,
weaknesses, or opposing viewpoints when analyzing a situation, making decisions, or solving problems. This
approach is often used in various fields, including business, technology, security, and even personal
decision-making. The goal of adversarial thinking is to anticipate and understand potential challenges or
criticisms that may arise in a given scenario. By actively seeking out weaknesses or vulnerabilities, individuals
or teams can better prepare for potential risks and develop more robust solutions. Adversarial thinking is
particularly important in areas such as cybersecurity, where anticipating and defending against potential attacks
is crucial. In this project, we will explore scenarios aimed at addressing situations involving adversarial
decision-making. The project encompasses two primary concentrations: cybersecurity and analytics, and an
educational component. In the cybersecurity and analytics focus, our attention will be on studying the concept of
misinformation and its real-world implications. Misinformation, as a form of adversarial thinking, has the
potential to alter critical decisions based on premises and information lacking factual support. The project's
objective is to identify situations where misinformation can have a substantial impact and to model them using
established statistical/adversarial frameworks to devise effective solutions.
The educational component of the project will delve into pedagogical aspects related to disseminating concepts of
adversarial thinking in introductory computer science courses, such as CS 1, 2, and 3. We aim to develop effective
strategies for teaching and integrating adversarial thinking concepts within these foundational courses.
Through these dual concentrations, our project aims to contribute valuable insights into both practical
applications in cybersecurity and analytics, as well as effective educational approaches for fostering a deeper
understanding of adversarial thinking in computer science curricula.
Bloom's Verbs to Enhance Adversarial Mindset
Adversarial Thinking stands out as a pervasive concept with broad applications in the realm of cybersecurity.
Meeting the escalating demand for cybersecurity training within the workforce has emerged as a significant goal
for numerous computing programs, particularly at the two- and four-year academic levels. The utilization of
Bloom's Taxonomy in education has been widespread, primarily for organizing curriculum learning outcomes,
competencies, assessments, and activities. The application of Bloom's for Computing involves a compilation of
verbs specifically tailored to computing, emphasizing active engagement in considering computing aspects when
formulating learning outcomes. In this study, we introduce a collection of active verbs and examples of learning
outcomes specifically curated for introductory computing courses, aimed at enhancing Adversarial Thinking.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DUE No. 2300378. Any
opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do
not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.