The arguments both pro and con of the four year security degree

beads

This currently teaching professor makes both assertions and gives reason why so many current practitioners, we aren't pros no matter what you might think, complain about the BS in CompSec types always lack.

He oft refers to freshers as bangers. A new one for me.

CompSci vs. CompSec Degrees: Is a B.S. in C.S. Just BS? - Darkmatters

bpenn

I specifically like the portion he explained about security practitioners and the tools they use. For DoD, are you going to learn about ACAS or HBSS in these schools? Probably not, and it would seem useful to be able to learn about and how to use different tools that companies/organizations use in the real world to do the job. Even as I begin an IT Security track degree next week, I know my security knowledge I get will be simply theory and no real-world application.

eSenpai

The article (or perhaps writing style) seems to be a little all over the place even though I think I get the gist of where he seems to be going.

Note: I think banger is a term for people who "do"(technologist side of the house) and he seems to be saying that we need more people who know how to do rather than people who know to create and deploy policy....at least as far as security goes and this is why I always want my people to have practical hands-on experience as a sys admin or tech before jumping to security.

I personally think every person who programs or works in IT needs basic security information knowledge. Whether this is programming or infrastructure, it is high time that everyone at least knows what it takes to do basic security in the area which they work. To his "cyber warrior" term, I think we NEED those pure play personnel as much as we need people who can step back and see the "big" picture. This is not a zero sum argument in my opinion.

Should a degree in computer science have enough cyber security to make a graduate relevant in ALL areas??? No. That is indeed a pipe dream not achievable through the current curriculum accreditation structure.

All in all, i agree with what I think is one of his central tenants. We do indeed need more people capable of being "bangers" and the current security degrees(even graduate) are sorely lacking in real world skills. I also agree that at the end of the day, it is the business (through incentives, browbeating, timelines, budgets, etc) which dictates how much security goes into a product or project.