The “Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking Bootcamp” program was launched by Alfaisal University as a hands-on experience offered to high school students as a basic introduction to the cybersecurity challenges of today. The program aimed to familiarize students with the basic notions of cybersecurity, as well as offer them a glimpse of various practical aspects. The program intended to introduce good practices, avoidance of common mistakes and wrongdoings, along with future perspectives and pathways related to computer and network security.
To achieve its goals, the program was presented as a 3-week intensive course of 6-7 hours daily, conventionally starting at 11:00 AM, where students had theoretical sessions as well as various hands-on practices, workshops, and computer-involved challenges and competitions.
Theoretical sessions involve presentations of basic topics, adopting problem-based methodology through which the students will earn early reasoning skills and be introduced to basic notions like confidentiality, integrity, availability, and non-repudiation, authentication versus authorization, viruses, worms, network and computer hacking, passwords. Practical skill sessions and labs teach the students how to apply the theoretical knowledge, for example, text extensively the complexity and resilience of a password. Workshops where “John the Ripper” was used to crack given passwords gave the students an idea of “white hat” hacking.
At the end of the workshop, participants had a better understanding of the modern cybersecurity threats, the measures of avoiding several “dangerous” habits and uses of today’s business IT infrastructure, and how to avoid being victims of fraud(s) or attacks on the internet.
After its monumental success in the previous cycles, The “Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking Bootcamp” program will be re-launched this summer where it will encompass several new soft skills workshops, technological sessions, and group activities. To learn more about the “Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking Bootcamp” program and registration process, please visit https://auep.alfaisal.edu/cybersecurity-bootcamp.
