Teaching Offensive Lab Skills: How to Make It Worth the Risk?

View Sample PDF

Author(s): Zouheir Trabelsi (UAE University, UAE), Margaret McCoey (La Salle University, USA)and Yang Wang (La Salle University, USA)
Copyright: 2022
Pages: 15
Source title: Research Anthology on Advancements in Cybersecurity Education
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Information Resources Management Association (USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-3554-0.ch012

Keywords: Education / Higher Education / Information Science Reference / IT Security and Ethics

Purchase

View Teaching Offensive Lab Skills: How to Make It Worth the Risk? on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

This chapter identifies and discusses the learning outcomes to be achieved because of hands-on lab exercises using ethical hacking. It discusses the ethical implications associated with including such labs in the information security curriculum. The discussion is informed by analyses of log data on student malicious activities, and the results of student surveys. The examination of student behavior after acquiring hands-on offensive skills shows that there is potentially a high risk of using these skills in an inappropriate and illegal manner. While acknowledging the risk and the ethical problems associated with teaching ethical hacking, it strongly recommends that information security curricula should opt for a teaching approach that offers students both offensive hands-on lab exercises coupled with ethical practices related to the techniques. The authors propose steps to offer a comprehensive information security program while at the same time minimizing the risk of inappropriate student behavior and reducing institutional liability in that respect and increasing the ethical views and practices related to ethical hacking.

The IRMA Community

Research IRM

Teaching Offensive Lab Skills: How to Make It Worth the Risk?

Purchase

Abstract

Related Content

IRMA Sponsors