Purple vs. Gold: An Exploration of Tabletop Exercises for Collegiate Cybersecurity Training

Abstract

As the field of cybersecurity grows, there is a growing number of colleges and universities that are starting to offer cybersecurity training and degrees. The issue with training cybersecurity is that a lecture-only training method creates a disconnect from what students learn and makes it challenging to turn that into something that they can do. As attacks grow in prevalence, the delivery of prepared students into the workforce is needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate supplemental forms of hands-on training to aid in a classroom setting. In a class, several groups of students will be allocated machines to attack with and defend, competing against other students to determine who can keep their systems secured and available. After completion of the exercise, participating students will be surveyed on their experience with the tabletop exercise. I predict that students will find the tabletop exercise stimulating and inciteful about what they learned in their cybersecurity courses.