CyberTraining 2024 Helen Lou.pdf

Multidisciplinary Cybersecurity Education for Critical Energy and Chemical Infrastructure Resilience

Helen Lou¹, Peyton Richmond¹, Tianxing Cai¹, Xingya Liu², Lucy Tsado³, Julia H. Yoo⁴, Prosenjit Paul⁵, Sharath Daida^1
1Dan F. Smith Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ²Department of Computer Science, ³Department of Sociology, Social Work, Criminal Justice and Anthropology, ⁴Department of Educational Leadership, ⁵Department of Electric Engineering, Lamar University

The energy infrastructure – refineries, petrochemical facilities, pipelines and storage facilities– is undergoing a digital revolution. Integration of operation, information, communication, and simulation technologies promises automation, remote work, cost savings, and improved performance. Yet, this digitalization dramatically increases the attack surface for cyber threats, potentially leading to severe consequences.

Chemical engineers are the guardians of our critical energy and chemical infrastructure. However, growing cyber threats poses new challenges to the traditional curriculum and education methods. To bridge this cybersecurity knowledge gap, the team designed a series of engaging modules that incorporate a multidisciplinary approach across various courses. A course module was also implemented in a Criminal Justice course to prepare students to handle cybersecurity and digital forensics issues related to critical energy and chemical infrastructure. In addition, the education activities also include guest lectures from industry cybersecurity professionals, an interactive social engineering game and a hacking demonstration. Student feedback indicates positive reception of these activities.

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant 2321055.