Joseph Squillace

Penn State Schuylkill, USA

The State of Cybersecurity Today – Exploring the Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Defenses through a Pedagogical Lenses

Tue 30 Jul | 15:00 - 16:30 | SR03

Joseph Squillace 01/01

Joseph Squillace, Ph.D., is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Cybersecurity at Penn State Schuylkill. Joseph received his Ph.D. in Information Systems (DISS) with a concentration in Information Security from the College of Engineering and Computing at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Joseph’s research interests include Cyberbullying, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Threat Intelligence, Cyberterrorism, Critical Infrastructure, Disaster Recovery, Cybersecurity in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Secure Supply Chain, Data Integrity, and Economics of Information Security and Privacy Breaches. Joseph has previously published scholarly research in Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, Information Systems, Computer Science, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Climate Change domains.

Dr. Joseph Squillace’s area of research expertise is within the Computer Science domain. His Technology-based research has used qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodology models, varied statistical analysis methods, and focused primarily on the advancement of new model artifacts and pedagogical-based education/training using novel theoretical approaches. His research stream spans a variety of domains, including foundational interest in Cybersecurity Education, Information and Behavioral Sciences, Criminal Justice, Sociology, and User Behavior. With direct expertise in Information Security (InfoSec), Dr. Squillace has had academic publications in peer-reviewed journal articles, and academic presentations examining specialized areas within security, including Cyberbullying, Cybersecurity Education and Pedagogy, Cybersecurity Psychology, Privacy, Ethical Actions, User Behavior (Theory), Corporate Compliance and Governance, Security Education, Training, and Awareness (SETA), Economics of Security Breach Events, eWaste, and Green Computing(sustainability). Dr. Squillace is also a Distinguished Academic Research Fellow at CyberWatch and the National Cyber Science and Practice Symposium Program Committee Chair for National CyberWatch.

The State of Cybersecurity Today – Exploring the Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Defenses through a Pedagogical Lenses

In today's interconnected digital world, effective cybersecurity defense is paramount to safeguarding information privacy against evolving threats while preserving the data integrity of critical infrastructure, national security, and academic institutions. Ensuring information security concerns are addressed is vital to maintaining a strategic position of cybersecurity readiness today, however, there is a fundamental challenge in how the education is being presented and received. With the pervasive use of technology and the increasing threats in cyberspace, there is a pressing need to reimagine the requisite cybersecurity skills and robust knowledge needed by users, beginning with challenging the traditional pedagogical model used when implementing (cyber) Security Education Training and Awareness (SETA).

Focusing on the pedagogy, the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners, we begin to better understand why the current cyber education model is ineffective, and what can be done as educators to improve the failed system. Supportive research data highlighting more effective ways to teach cyber education will help identify strategies for enhancing cyber defenses. In addition, collaborative discussions revolving around how academic research can improve our defensive security posture across industries and domains will help facilitate the defensive changes needed.