Welcome
Join us to learn about cyber and its related technologies including software, networks, AI, data analytics and cloud computing. Everyone is welcome!
Feel free to send any questions to cerc@Howard.edu.
Cybersecurity Center
The Cybersecurity Education and Research Center (CERC) was created as an academic-public-private partnership to develop cybersecurity professionals, conduct research and support outreach to underserved communities.
We sponsor courses, programs and research for students interested in the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Center Goals
- Create a pipeline of diverse cybersecurity talent.
- Deliver innovative inter-disciplinary cybersecurity research programs.
- Create partnerships and programs to support cybersecurity workforce development in underserved communities.
Howard awarded CAE-CD Designation
The Howard University Cybersecurity program was officially awarded a 5 year designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This designation recognizes the overall program for meeting or exceeding the national standards for cybersecurity instruction, programs and student outcomes.
Cybersecurity Offerings
Cybersecurity Concentration and Cybersecurity Certificate
Cybersecurity Center Activities
Current — Fall 2023
- SANS Foundations training
- Coding Collaborative Club
- Cybersecurity Club
- National Cyber League Competition
- Security Certification Course
- Intelligence Community Scholars Program
- Cybersecurity Lab Upgrade
- Cybersecurity Speaker Series
- Intelligence Community Symposium
Contact CERC@howard.edu for enrollment info.
Recent — Last 12 months
- Howard CISCAP Summer Camp
- Security Certification Bundles
- SANS CyberStart competition
- Coding Collaborative Club
- Cybersecurity Club Kickoff
- Chevron and Lockheed Scholarships
- National Security Institute panel
- National Cyber League Competitions
- Cybersecurity Speaker Series
- Threat Intelligence workshop
- CrowdStrike Mentorship Program
- National Student Leadership Conference Workshops
Meet the Team
The CERC is part of the Howard University School of Business under Dean Wilbon with the following staff:
Everyone Must Support Good Cyber Hygiene!
Good cybersecurity hygiene is everyone’s responsibility. Please refer to Howard University Enterprise Technical Services (ETS) for the current security guidelines.
Cybersecurity is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, theft of, or damage to hardware, software, or data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide. (Wikipedia)
Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing career fields with over 213,000 positions open in the US and median salaries starting over $100k/year (Lightcast™ US Job Postings: 2022: Jan. 1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2022). Entry level opportunities include positions as Security Specialists, Cybersecurity Analysts, Incident Responder, Testers, Auditors and Consultants (see Cyberseek Career Pathway).
An excellent resource regarding careers and free training option for students is the SANS New2Cyber webpage.
The cybersecurity concentration and the center programs will expose students to a broad set of cybersecurity principles, challenges and strategic technologies including secure IT architectures, software, networks, data analytics, AI and cloud services.
The Cybersecurity Center offers the following programs:
- Cybersecurity Concentration and Certificate
- Workshops, Projects and Competitions
- Cyber Lab services
- Scholarships, Internships and free resources
- Research Projects
See the Cybersecurity Program Page for more information.
The Cybersecurity Concentration is part of the Computer Information Systems major in the Howard School of Business. Read more about the Computer Information Systems Cybersecurity Concentration.
- Get on cybersecurity email distribution list.
- Follow the Cybersecurity Center on Social media: Twitter (CyberHu) & Linkedln (HUCERC)
- Send questions to cerc@howard.edu.
The Cybersecurity Center will announce scholarship opportunities. Join the cybersecurity center distribution list and follow the center’s social media channels to receive announcements (Twitter and Linkedln).
The Cyber Lab is both a physical location and a virtual infrastructure that supports cybersecurity student learning.
The physical space (Rm426 School of Business) is a collaboration workspace used for hands-on classroom instruction, workshops and club meetings. The lab is equipped with furniture, AV, Wifi and special devices for student projects.
The virtual infrastructure includes cloud services, a research server, cyber range labs and a curated portfolio of online resources for students of all skill levels (e.g., picoCTF, CyberStart, TryHackMe, etc.).
First step, join the Cybersecurity center and the Cyber Club to connect with the HU community of cyber students and to get access to free resources.
For independent learning, the Cybersecurity center recommends that students pursue free or low cost learning opportunities to build up their pre-requisite skills in data, networks, web, operating systems and cyber. As an example, below are the introductory instructional paths for beginners using the TryHackMe.com online learning portal:
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- Pre-security Learning Path (40 hrs easy)
- Introduction to Cybersecurity (24hrs easy)
- Absolute Beginner (60 hrs easy)
The cybersecurity concentration and center activities help students develop their critical thinking, analysis and hands-on skills in the following domain areas:
- Cyber Principles, Threats, Vulnerabilities and Attacks
- Cryptography
- Foundational IT (Data, Operating Systems/Linux, Network, Software, Hardware)
- Network/Web Traffic Analysis
- Virtualization and Cloud
- Programming and Scripting
- Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
- Security Architectures and Operations
- Penetration Test (Scan, Enumerate, Password Crack, Exploit, etc)
- Vulnerability Analysis & Incident Response
- Forensics
Yes, the Cybersecurity Center will provide support for students to pursue research topics of interest. See the Cybersecurity Center research page for more info.
The Center recommends that students focus on developing hands-on skills by joining the Cybersecurity Center and enrolling in the cyber courses before pursuing certifications. After engaging with the Cyber Center and seeing what free resources are available, students may want to consider the following entry level cybersecurity certifications based on their interests and resources:
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- ISC2 – ‘Certified in Cybersecurity’ (free)
- CompTIA Security+ (costs)
- Google Data Analytics (Coursea – costs)
- Other
Computer with Intel i3 or equivalent power plus 8 GB RAM and 500 GB storage (or more)
* Note: Apple devices with M1 (silicon) chips do not support the free versions of virtualization software. Contact CERC@howard.com for information on getting a free licensed copy of VMWare.
