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Recent breaches of Web-site security are raising concern that the American workforce may not have enough troops to battle cyber snoops. Only about a half-dozen academic institutions in the U.S. have graduate programs that address computer security -— and that number hasn't changed much in 10 years. Today, the private and public sector are scrambling to retain the few qualified professionals who exist. And colleges are finding that just when they're starting to integrate information security into their curriculum, PhDs aren't hanging around academia long enough to teach the classes.
It's a dilemma that Corey Schou, associate dean at Idaho State University, has called a "revolving spiral." And it provides a troubling backdrop for federal and state efforts to combat hacking of commercial Web sites by cyber criminals. On Feb. 15, President Clinton pledged $2 billion in additional federal funding to combat security breaches.
But such efforts will still require greater expertise. Trouble is, those with the knowledge to teach that expertise to students aren't teaching, and students aren't going into the field because schools don't have the curriculum or faculty in place. "PhDs leave academia because they can often make at least $50,000 more in the private sector," Schou says. "For students with loans, there is not a big enough incentive to stay and teach information assurance."
"POOF, THEY'RE GONE."
And it seems government is facing a similar problem. Although departments like the National Security Agency are starting to partner with select universities to develop curriculums and establish training standards, the lure of private dollars is affecting them, too.
"People go into government, get trained in information security, and, poof, they're gone -– off to the private sector," says Schou, who also chairs Idaho State's National Center of Excellence for Computer Security Education. Idaho State is one of seven colleges and universities the NSA has recognized for leading the field in information-assurance training.
Even more unsettling: No quick solution is in sight. Computer assurance still isn't a recognized discipline at most colleges. Meanwhile, the Commerce Dept. is projecting that the U.S. will need 1.3 million new information-technology workers by 2006, many whom will require extensive training in security. According to Hans Meed, executive director of the National Alliance of Business' 21st Century Workforce Commission, these workers are going to have to be high-end programmers, with highly specialized skills. "It's not the kind of training you're going to get from anything other than a four-year or Master's program."
MONEY FOR STUDY.
At the dawn of this demand dilemma, many observers say government and industry must partner with academia to search for the next wave of security solutions. Schou, along with others in his field, is suggesting that the government create a scholarship program to encourage students to study information assurance -- much as the National Defense Education Act of the 1960s led students to concentrate on science and engineering.
John V. Daley, a telecom specialist at the Federal Aviation Administration and a part-time community-college professor, says the challenge of stopping hackers in their tracks must be shared with higher education. Before joining the FAA, Daley set up secure networks for companies, and he recently shared his insights on a panel of experts on cyber terrorism at the National Press Club. "There are 13-year-old kids without degrees breaking into systems from their bedrooms," he says. "Security should be the subject of every Master and PhD student's thesis." Soon, that may not sound so far-fetched.
By Nicole St. Pierre in Washington EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT
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