Infusing Principles and Practices for Secure Computing Throughout an Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum

Abstract

In recent years, all computing disciplinary communities and curricular guidelines have increased their expectations of and requirements for incorporating cybersecurity into their discipline. For computer science, this has been a daunting task for a number of reasons, including the fast-paced evolution and expansion of the discipline, the perceived challenge of finding space in the curriculum, and the difficulty of selecting the best content. This paper takes the position that infusing security concepts pervasively into an undergraduate Computer Science program is a crucial and attainable best practice. A five-step methodology is presented to incorporate cybersecurity into a traditional computer science curriculum in a way that maintains disciplinary integrity without adding significant new curricular content. This methodology is consistent with the philosophy and recommendations of the latest computer science and cybersecurity curricular guidelines. The paper also illustrates the application of these techniques to a typical Computer Science program.