SIM Hacking, Tony Coulson and Vincent Nestler, Football Fever, and Cyber Opportunities

Topics Covered

  • Guest Speakers: Tony Coulson and Vincent Nestler
  • Cyber Bytes: SIM Hacking
  • Technology Corner: Football Fever
  • Cyber Opportunities: NICE Challenge Project & Leadership Academy

Available: May 16, 2022

About this Show

Guest Speakers:

Tony Coulson, Ph.D.

Dr. Tony Coulson

Executive Director of the Cybersecurity Center &
Professor, Information & Decision Sciences
California State University, San Bernardino at San Bernardino

Vincent Nestler, Ph.D.

Dr. Vincent Nestler

Assistant Professor, Information & Decision Sciences
California State University, San Bernardino at San Bernardino

SIM Hacking

What Happened?

On Friday, April 22nd, 2022, T-Mobile, the network company for mobile phones stated that it was a victim of a security breach in March of 2022. The mercenary gang called LapSus$ (yes, with another dollar sign after the name) had managed to gain access to T-Mobile’s networks.

SIMHacking

Relevant Terms

  • SIM Hacking: Subscriber Identity Module Hacking, where the victim’s cell phone number is taken from their device and transferred to the hackers device. All of the victim’s texts or calls go to the hacker’s device.
  • LapSus$: A hacking group that targets big companies and is more interested in money than political gain
  • Slack: app where businesses can message people to get the information they need
  • Bitbucket: where professional teams can collaborate on code together and plan projects

Technology Corner – Football Fever – Secure the Win!

Go to: https://it.tamu.edu/footballfever/ 

Football fever is a cybersecurity game created by Texas A & M University: Division of information technology that is fun and interactive. It tests your cyber safety skills and helps you expand your cybersecurity knowledge.

You want to answer the cybersecurity questions correctly to get points in the football game. Once you reach the site click the link to play the game. Questions will appear and try your best to get them correct using your current cyber security knowledge.

Example:

The question is asking what the safest technique is to practice when using Bluetooth. Since Bluetooth poses cyber security hazards, you should only use it when you need it. This is because wireless connections like Bluetooth make it very easy for hackers to intercept weak connections and manipulate your device and information stored on it. Therefore, the correct answer is Only use it when I need it, then immediately turn in off.

Once you have selected the answer you think is correct, then you should click run play. If it is right and it is an offensive play, you will get points. Some questions are asked when the team is on defense, so when you get those questions right, you stop the other team from gaining points.

Cyber Opportunities

NICE Challenge Project

Description: The NICE Challenge Project develops real-world cybersecurity challenges within virtualized business environments that bring students the workforce experience before the workforce. Our goal is to provide the most realistic experiences to students, at-scale year-round, while also generating useful assessment data about their knowledge, skills, and abilities for educators.

Link: https://nice-challenge.com/ 

University of Massachusetts Institute of Diversity Sciences Amherst Leadership Academy

Description: The Leadership Academy is an annual online summer and academic year program that is designed to help advance the success of undergraduate students who are traditionally under-represented in technology and engineering as they plan their transition from college and internships to career. This is a professional development opportunity with full scholarships and consists of three components: a six-week synchronous online summer program, a professional development reunion, and an industry mentorship program during the academic year. It is free of cost for students. During the 6-week online program, students develop the professional skills including communication, building your own brand, negotiation skills, and leadership competencies. Students interact with and learn from experienced professionals in tech and engineering careers from diverse backgrounds, grow their own networks, and find internships and employment opportunities. Students who participate in the Leadership Academy during the summer have the opportunity to form mentorship relationships with one or more industry professionals during academic year.

Link: https://www.umass.edu/diversitysciences/leadership-academy