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What’s the scariest thing about spooky season? Skeletons and ghosts? Nope. It’s the high risk of phishing, malware, and hacking attacks that take place around the globe!

Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems has a long history of excellence in cybersecurity education and research. Students who study cybersecurity at Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ frequently land exciting jobs and internships in local and national corporations, as well as government agencies where they strive to keep data safe. This is no more present than through the exclusive CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program. Available to both undergraduate and graduate students, the program covers the costs of a cybersecurity education and provides a full time job with a government organization after graduation. This program, alongside a roster of talented cybersecurity faculty, has empowered the Seidenberg School to train the cybersecurity workforce of the future.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and it’s off to a strong start at Seidenberg. Check it out:

Converge Cybersecurity conference at Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ

On October 1, some of the best business and tech minds in Westchester County arrived at Converge: The Hudson Valley Digital Innovation Conference on Pace’s Pleasantville Campus. The event was run by Westchester County Association and covered digital equity, broadband and internet, and the importance of digital security. Panelists included experts from IBM, AT&T, Optimum, Brookings Institution, Cuddy & Feder LLP, Slalom, Crown Castle, Empire State Development, and the STEM Alliance, as well as the City of Mount Vernon and the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Seidenberg Dean Li-Chiou Chen and Professor Joe Acampora spoke on the cybersecurity panel alongside NYS Assemblyman Steve Otis and Meghan Cook, Director of the Cyber Incident Response Team at the NYS Division of Homeland Security. The panel was moderated by Stephanie Pell, Fellow in Governance Studies at the Bookings Institution.

Cybersecurity education and research grant funding

Just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Seidenberg School earned two new grants to conduct cybersecurity training and research, furthering Pace’s position as the center for cybersecurity in New York City and Westchester County.

Funding from Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. will support an experiential training program to prepare Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵstudents for careers in cybersecurity. Utilizing Pace’s newly launched Cyber Range, an interactive technology environment located on the Pleasantville campus – and one of only a few in the region – students will prepare to fill roles with public and private sector employers and practice how to address and mitigate an orchestrated hack or other cyber threat.

A second grant from the Gladys Brooks Foundation will provide complementary hardware and software, servers, and internet networking devices to conduct educational training experiences on critical infrastructure security.

New cybersecurity degree program at Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ

To top it all off, the brand-new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity is now open for applications and will launch in the Fall 2025 semester. The program is available in both New York City and Pleasantville and will prepare students for jobs in cybersecurity.

Seidenberg also offers a Master of Science in Cybersecurity, which is popular with career changers looking to join a field that urgently needs trained professionals.

Spooky enough for ya? If not, just remember this—a leading cause for cybersecurity incidents is human error! So stop leaving your passwords on a post-it, capische?