NSA Official Calls for More Training of Cyber Experts

Universities like Embry-Riddle prepare students for a high-demand field 

Outlining the threat that cyber attacks in space could pose to the technologies citizens and government rely on every day, Diane M. Janosek, commandant of the U.S. National Security Agency’s National Cryptologic School, said the United States needs to build an educational pipeline of cyber experts. 

“Now is the time to secure our space assets,” said Janosek in her keynote speech at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Aero-Cybersecurity Symposium, held earlier this year. “This is a whole new subset of security that is ripe for new ideas.” 

Pointing out that the United States has more satellites and other equipment in space than any other country, Janosek said that an attack on those satellites would be crippling — knocking out the Internet, television news capabilities, ATMs, financial networks, some highway and railroad signals, weather information necessary for air travel, power stations and even water treatment plants. 

“Dependence on space technologies can have a devastating impact if and when those technologies are under attack,” Janosek said, having referred to China’s use of a kinetic kill vehicle in 2007 to destroy a satellite in space — in this case their own weather satellite. 

The most fundamental missions of the National Security Agency (NSA), collecting intelligence from foreign signals and protecting U.S. and allies’ communications from being compromised, require top-level cybersecurity defensive measures, Janosek said.  

To defend national security as well as the American industrial base across all critical infrastructure sectors, the NSA manages the National Centers of Academic Excellence (NCAE) program, which designates colleges and universities that have top-notch cyber programs taught by highly qualified faculty. 

"In programs like our (K-12) GenCyber and NCAE, we are building a pipeline of cyber first responders for our nation," said Janosek. "Our goal is for students to learn cybersecurity and apply it to more than just the defense and intelligence sectors. This foundation can be applied to the banking industry, finance, health care, manufacturing, transportation -- so many areas that rely on computer technology." 

In 2016, Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus earned the NCAE designation for Cyber Defense Education for its Computer Science program. In 2019, the Prescott Campus received the NCAE for Cyber Defense Education for its Cyber Intelligence and Security program. The Aero-Cybersecurity Symposium was part of the Embry-Riddle President's Forum on Research and Innovation. 

“Embry-Riddle’s graduates are well-prepared to contribute to our national and economic security,” said Janosek. “And as an institution that focuses on aviation and aerospace, it’s a fitting place for students to learn about securing our space assets.” 

As the NSA’s training director and commandant for the National Cryptologic School, Diane Janosek manages and oversees the delivery of unique courses for the U.S. civilian and military intelligence workforce in the areas of cyber, network security, cyber resilience, and encryption, among other areas, ensuring a strong federal workforce to defend critical national security networks. She is the 2019 Cybersecurity Association of Maryland’s Cyber Warrior Woman of the Year, recognizing her mentorship, inspiration, and advocacy for women in the cybersecurity field. She is the president of the Women in Cybersecurity’s (WiCyS) Mid-Atlantic Regional Affiliate, and holds the WiCyS Affiliate Leadership Award for 2019. Janosek serves on the White House National Science and Technology Council’s Federal Coordination in STEM Education Subcommittee, which coordinates STEM education programs, investments and activities.