Poulsbo's Cyber Warriors

Poulsbo's Cyber Warriors

OC’S PARTNERSHIP WITH WWU MEETS GROWING DEMAND FOR COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERTS

In the escalating battle against hackers, data breaches and ransomware attacks, an unassuming stack of computer servers at Olympic College is playing a surprisingly important role.

Dubbed Cyber Range Poulsbo, the setup allows students to experiment with viruses, malware, system attacks and other cyber threats in a contained way, separate from other computer networks and the internet.

“If we’re teaching them how to protect a network from attack, they need to know how to attack a network,” said Erik Fretheim, director of Information Systems Security for Western Washington University, which partners with OC to provide bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity at OC Poulsbo.

The servers, donated by Boeing, make up one of only nine educational cyber ranges in the country and the only one in Washington state. Fretheim

likens it to the glove boxes researchers use when handling deadly germs or hazardous materials. Lab workers put their hands into gloves through sealed holes in the boxes to work with potentially lethal agents. The workers are protected and so is the public.

Western’s cybersecurity program is in its infancy, with 27 students at the main campus in Bellingham and two enrolled in Poulsbo. Because of unprecedented industry demand, Fretheim expects those numbers to grow rapidly.

The program graduated its first three cyber warriors last year and all quickly filled jobs that didn’t exist before they were hired. “Our experience with our graduates so far is that they’re going places where nobody’s ever been before.”

He estimates there are about 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States and expects that number to leapfrog to two million within five to seven years.

In addition to OC, Western is partnering with four other Washington community colleges – Edmonds, Highline, Peninsula and Whatcom – to fill some

of those jobs. Participants in the 2+2 program first earn associate’s degrees in cybersecurity at the participating community colleges and then have the opportunity to finish their bachelor’s degrees from Western in two years at OC’s Poulsbo campus.

“I really don’t want to do anything else. There’s so many ways to go with it,” said Cameron Blumenthal, whose long-time love of gaming sparked his interest in the field.

“This program gives you a lot of flexibility,” agreed Ian Tucker, who like Blumenthal came to Poulsbo in 2017 from Peninsula College in Port Angeles. “I’m excited to know it’s a growing field.”

Fretheim is still setting up the cyber range, but when it’s at full capacity, other colleges and universities with computer science programs will be able to use it. In addition, private businesses can test systems and software on the cyber range, providing income to help support the program, as well as realworld experience for students.

“We want to work with anybody and everybody that’s interested,” he said.

Students already are analyzing data from a company that installs sensors in the networks of small Washington municipalities. Their assignment: Look for anomalies, signs of attack and illegal connections.

“It’s a great project,” said Fretheim. “The students are doing things with live data and cooperating with other organizations.”

Another critical part of the program is teaching cyber ethics. Fretheim, who had a long career in the military and private industry before joining Western’s faculty, said instilling a sense of responsibility in his students is as important as teaching technical skills. “We’re trusting a lot of our future to them.”

OC PARTNERSHIPS & DEGREES

OC students can earn more than a dozen bachelor’s degrees without leaving Kitsap County, many through partnerships with other state higher education institutions. Here’s a breakdown:

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – A bachelor’s in early childhood education was approved by the state Legislature this spring, making it the newest four-year degree to be offered through OC’s collaboration with Western. The university offers classes at OC’s Bremerton and Poulsbo campuses through its Western on the Peninsulas program. Degrees include business administration, elementary and special education, environmental policy, environmental science and human services. Aspiring education leaders can also earn a master’s in education and certifications for principals and superintendents.

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – In this 2+2 program, OC students first complete an engineering associate’s degree, then earn their bachelor’s in mechanical or electrical engineering from WSU on the Bremerton campus. The program was created to help meet a high demand for engineers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.