SaTC: EDU: Improving Student Learning through Competitive Embedded System Security Challenges

计算机几乎涉及现代生活的方方面面，从汽车和医疗保健，到基础设施和国防。最近网络犯罪的增加凸显了对网络安全专业人员的需求，从软件到网络，甚至硬件本身。需要新的课程来改进现有的计算机科学和工程项目，并为这些领域的学生提供理论和实践，动手安全经验。此外，需要有效的网络安全教育新技术来提高学生在这一关键领域的学习。该项目将开发一门硬件安全实验课程，利用低成本、开源的硬件和软件，使更多的大学能够将动手操作的硬件安全课程整合到他们的高级本科和研究生课程中。该课程将通过团队合作、动手实验和安全挑战的高级课程来测试将基于游戏的学习整合到硬件安全教育中的效果。课程材料将免费提供，这项研究的结果将通过设立新的讲习班和培训研讨会以及每年举办竞赛来广泛分享，以鼓励在这一关键领域不断改进。该项目的目标是通过动手实验课程模块的高级课程和最终以团队为基础的“硬件夺旗”比赛，研究基于游戏的硬件安全教育方法。本课程适合计算机工程专业的大四本科生和研究生。计划的课程模块涵盖了与硬件安全相关的广泛主题，包括物理和跨层安全。主题的选择将确保尽可能多的学生可以从课程中受益，只需要“可访问”的设备（即相对便宜，开源和易于使用），并提供学习可转移到任何以硬件为重点的职业的实用技能的机会。游戏化对学生学习的影响将通过将游戏机制和竞赛整合到选定的实验室来测试，包括与时间赛跑、得分/排行榜系统、红队/蓝队以及协作分析和学习。通过将基于游戏的学习整合到拟议的课程中，该项目将研究以安全为重点的硬件教育的新方法，这些方法可以在其他计算机科学和工程部门复制，以提高学生的参与度和学习能力。该项目由安全与可信网络空间（SaTC）计划支持，该计划资助解决网络安全和隐私问题的提案，在这种情况下，特别是网络安全教育。SaTC项目与《联邦网络安全研究与发展战略计划》和《国家隐私研究战略》保持一致，旨在保护和维护网络系统日益增长的社会和经济效益，同时确保安全和隐私。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Computers touch on nearly every aspect of modern life, from automotive and healthcare, to infrastructure and defense. The recent uptick in cybercrime highlights the increased demand for cybersecurity professionals for all aspects of computing - from software, to networking, and even the hardware itself. New courses are needed to improve existing computer science and engineering programs and provide both theoretical and practical, hands-on security experiences for students in these fields. In addition, new techniques for effective cybersecurity education are needed to improve student learning in this crucial area. This project will develop a hardware security lab course leveraging low-cost, open-source hardware and software, to enable more universities to integrate a hands-on hardware security course into their advanced undergraduate and graduate programs. The course will be used to test the effect of integrating game-based learning into hardware security education through an advanced curriculum of team-based, hands-on laboratory experiments and security challenges. Course materials will be made freely available, and results of this research will be shared widely by establishing new workshops and training seminars, and an annual competition to encourage continuous improvement in this critical area. The objective of this project is to investigate a game-based approach to hardware security education through an advanced curriculum of hands-on laboratory course modules and a final team-based “Hardware Capture the Flag” competition. The curriculum will be suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students in computer engineering. The planned course modules cover a wide-range of topics related to hardware security, including physical and cross-layer security. Topics will be chosen to ensure that the largest possible number of students can benefit from the course by requiring only “accessible” equipment (i.e., relatively inexpensive, open-source, and easy to use) and providing an opportunity to learn practical skills that are transferable to any hardware-focused career. The impact of gamification on student learning will be tested by integrating game mechanics and competitions into selected labs, including race-against-the-clock, point scoring / leaderboard systems, red team / blue team, and collaborative analysis and learning. By integrating game-based learning in the proposed course, the project will investigate novel approaches to hardware education with a focus on security that can be replicated in other computer science and engineering departments to bolster student engagement and learning. This project is supported by the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program, which funds proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and in this case specifically cybersecurity education. The SaTC program aligns with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan and the National Privacy Research Strategy to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy.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.