News

Prof. Awais Rashid outlines the work of CyBOK

Background and Context

  • Awais Rashid – Professor of Cyber Security, University of Bristol
  • National Cyber Security programme funds the CyBOK and Awais is an editor of the book
  • CyBOK: Steering Committee, Executive Board, Representatives
  • Not meant to be an encyclopaedia, its about knowledge not skills:
    • Codify foundational and generally recognised knowledge in cyber security following broad community engagement, nationally and internationally
    • A guide to the body of knowledge
    • Focus is on established foundation of the subject (not on everything that has ever been written or on still-emerging, nascent, topics)
  • Knowledge and CS varies in quality, this gives an authoritative source for topics to cover when designing programmes, etc.
  • Principles:
    • International effort
    • For the community by the community
    • Open and freely accessible
    • Transparency
  • Project:
    • Phase 1 (Feb 2017 – Oct 2017)
      • Scoping
    • Phase 2 (Nov 2017 – Oct 2019)
      • Development of CyBOK 1.0 and associated resources
    • Phase 3 (Nov 2019 – Mar 2021)
      • Usage in education and professional context
      • Maintenance and evolution
    • Phase 4 (Apr 2021 – Mar 2022)
      • Collaboration with the UK Cyber Security Council
      • Encouraging familiarisation and practical usage by gov, academia and industry
      • Maintenance and Evolution

CyBOK 1.0

(www.cybok.org)

Changes/improvements made:

  • Deploying crypto systems in practice – New KA on Applied Cryptography
  • Understanding different types of network architectures and their security requirements – Updated to Network Security KA
  • 115 Experts
  • 1000 pages
  • 2200 authoritative sources
  • Each area has a podcast, webinar for each knowledge area, mapping reference with over 13000 terms
  • Started to fund small community projects to develop additional resources, examples:
    • Published PhD theses mapped to CyBOK 1.0
    • Development of redistributable laboratory materials for GSM
  • Further new small projects funded (about 7)
  • CyBOK Use Cases
    • Design new university or professional training programmes
    • Design new certification schemes

Many different types of cyber security experts and they have different knowledge areas to develop and excel in. Current downloads of CyBOK 1.0 is over 7K.