National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies

Last updated
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS)
Agency overview
Headquarters United States
Agency executive
  • Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies
Parent agency Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, United States Department of Homeland Security
Website https://niccs.cisa.gov/

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) is an online training initiative and portal built as per the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education framework. This is a federal cybersecurity training subcomponent, operated and maintained by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. [1]

Contents

History

The initiative was launched by Janet Napolitano, then-Secretary of Homeland Security of Department of Homeland Security on February 21, 2013. [2] [3] The primary objective of the initiative is to develop and train the next generation of American cyber professional [4] by involving academia and the private sector.

Federal Virtual Training Environment

NICCS hosts Federal Virtual Training Environment, a completely free online cybersecurity training system for federal and state government employees. It contains more than 800 hours of training materials on ethical hacking, and surveillance, risk management, and malware analysis. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Homeland Security</span> United States federal executive department

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) was a team under the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Cyber Security Division</span>

The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is a division of the Office of Cyber Security & Communications, within the United States Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Formed from the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, and the National Communications System, NCSD opened on June 6, 2003.

The EINSTEIN System is a network intrusion detection and prevention system that monitors the networks of US federal government departments and agencies. The system is developed and managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) was founded in early 2016 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was started from a vision of then Governor John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community. The NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education, and research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center</span> United States defense organization

The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) is designated as a Federal Cyber Center by National Security Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23, as a Department of Defense (DoD) Center Of Excellence for Digital and Multimedia (D/MM) forensics by DoD Directive 5505.13E, and serves as the operational focal point for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity program. DC3 operates as a Field Operating Agency (FOA) under the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force.

The Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) outlines U.S. cybersecurity goals across multiple agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Agency. The initiative was established by President George W. Bush in January 2008 in National Security Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23 (NSPD-54/HSPD-23).

The National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which promotes cyber security awareness and education. The NCA works with various stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society promoting partnerships between the federal government and technology corporations. NCA's primary federal partner is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul N. Stockton</span>

Dr. Paul N. Stockton is the President of Paul N Stockton LLC, a strategic advisory firm in Santa Fe, NM. From 2009 to 2013, Dr. Stockton served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs, where he helped lead the department's response to Hurricane Sandy. He was responsible for Defense Critical Infrastructure Protection, Western Hemisphere security policy, domestic crisis management, continuity of operations planning, and a range of other responsibilities. While Assistant Secretary, Dr. Stockton also served as executive director of the Council of Governors. After serving as Assistant Secretary, Dr. Stockton was the managing director of Sonecon LLC, an advisory firm in Washington, DC, from 2013 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DHS Cyber Security Division</span>

The Cyber Security Division (CSD) is a division of the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T Directorate) of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Within the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, CSD develops technologies to enhance the security and resilience of the United States' critical information infrastructure from acts of terrorism. S&T supports DHS component operational and critical infrastructure protections, including the finance, energy, and public utility sectors, as well as the first responder community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile2</span>

Mile2 is an information technology security company that develops and provides proprietary accredited cybersecurity certifications. The company's technology security programs are utilized in the private and public sectors, including by Boeing, Canada's Department of National Defense, the National Security Agency, the United States Air Force, the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and others.

McAfee Institute is an American professional certification and training organization founded in 2010 by Joshua McAfee. The Institute specializes in providing online education for professionals in the intelligence, investigations, and law enforcement sectors. McAfee Institute offers certifications and training programs in fields such as cyber intelligence, cryptocurrency investigations, open-source intelligence (OSINT), human trafficking investigations, and workplace violence prevention.

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formed in October 2000. Its mission statement professes that the function of CIS is to " help people, businesses, and governments protect themselves against pervasive cyber threats."

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) is part of the Cybersecurity Division of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It acts to coordinate various aspects of the U.S. federal government's cybersecurity and cyberattack mitigation efforts through cooperation with civilian agencies, infrastructure operators, state and local governments, and international partners.

Election cybersecurity or election security refers to the protection of elections and voting infrastructure from cyberattack or cyber threat – including the tampering with or infiltration of voting machines and equipment, election office networks and practices, and voter registration databases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency</span> Agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of government, coordinating cybersecurity programs with U.S. states, and improving the government's cybersecurity protections against private and nation-state hackers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Braun</span> American political, cyber and national security expert

Jacob H. Braun is an American politician, cyber and national security expert. He was appointed by President Joseph Biden as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary's Senior Advisor to the Management Directorate. Braun is also a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies where he teaches courses on cyber policy and election security. He previously served as the Executive Director for the University of Chicago Harris Cyber Policy Initiative (CPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Travis</span> American businessman & government official

Matthew Travis is a businessman and former American government official. He served as the Deputy Director for the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Travis served as Deputy Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) before the agency became CISA on November 16, 2018.

The Cyber Safety Review Board was established by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on February 3, 2022. Modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, the Board reviews significant cybersecurity incidents and issues reports. President Joe Biden directed the Board's creation through Section 5 of Executive Order 14028, issued on May 12, 2021.

Operational collaboration is a cyber resilience framework that leverages public-private partnerships to reduce the risk of cyber threats and the impact of cyberattacks on United States cyberspace. This operational collaboration framework for cyber is similar to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s National Preparedness System which is used to coordinate responses to natural disasters, terrorism, chemical and biological events in the physical world.

References

  1. Jabara, Joe (2021-08-25). "Which Cybersecurity Careers Are in Demand? Know Your Options". ClearanceJobs. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  2. "Western Security and Virtual Space: Some Examples From 2013". E-International Relations. 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  3. "DHS Launches National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies". Department of Homeland Security. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  4. "Erstklassige IT-Sicherheit und kostenloser IT-Security Audit". bytesnipers (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  5. "Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE) | National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies". niccs.cisa.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-05.