Fairfield’s Innovative Cybersecurity Lab:
Bridging Theory and Practice
Your Journey Starts Now
Guidance Every Step of the Way
State-of-the-art Cyber Lab
Fairfield University’s fully online Master of Science in Cybersecurity program offers students an innovative learning experience through its remote cybersecurity lab. The lab is a state-of-the-art, isolated network infrastructure managed internally, providing an ideal environment for hands-on learning. Completely air-gapped from the university’s network, it allows remote access via VPN connections.
The lab’s unique setup enables online students to experience firsthand the topics covered in class by our faculty. It offers an opportunity to execute key cybersecurity scenarios that can mimic real-world cyber threats, providing a realistic platform for practical exercises. The lab equips students with critical thinking and the technological skills to monitor, mitigate, and prevent online security threats. The lab is also utilized to test new monitoring software and techniques that may later be implemented in Fairfield University’s own production infrastructure.
Practical Scenarios
The lab is designed to enhance the online coursework thereby challenging students to collaboratively solve sophisticated cybersecurity challenges. Here are three key focus areas that students work on that align with career-ready skills.
Digital Forensics
Students engage in digital forensics exercises, searching for evidence of intrusion on a system.
Ethical Hacking
The lab hosts activities typical of penetration testing, including reconnaissance, scanning, and vulnerability assessment.
Server Management
Students configure and harden both Windows and Linux servers, managing domain controllers and user accounts.
Cyber Lab Exercises
Instructors use virtual machines to create specific exercises that can be used as demonstrations or assignments for students during classes. Mirco Speretta, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Computing and cybersecurity program director shares examples of hands-on exercises tailored to prepare students with real-world scenarios they will encounter in their cybersecurity careers.
Server Vulnerability Testing
During Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2024, we utilized the cybersecurity lab and the security operation center for a red team (faculty) vs. blue team (ITS security) demonstration. The goal was to access a designated server on Fairfield University’s network.
Cyber Lab Tools
The cybersecurity lab is equipped with advanced tools essential for comprehensive cybersecurity training. Here are some helpful definitions.
A cybercrime in which the attacker floods a server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites.
This is a serious security bug in some outdated versions of the popular OpenSSL, an open-source cryptographic library that implements the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Security protocols (TLS). This weakness allows for the theft of information that would typically be protected by SSL and TLS encryption.
Open source utility for network discovery and security auditing. It’s a popular tool for network administrators to map their networks and perform a variety of tasks.
Remote security scanning tool that scans a computer and raises an alert if it discovers any vulnerabilities that malicious hackers could use to gain access to any computer you have connected to the network.
A security solution that helps organizations identify and address potential threats and vulnerabilities before they disrupt business operations. SIEM tools collect and analyze data from various sources, such as logs, network traffic, and user activities, and aggregate them into a centralized platform for real-time security monitoring.
An SIEM Software for cybersecurity operations offering searching, monitoring, and analyzing machine-generated data along with incident response and management to threat detection and threat hunting.
Real-World Exercise Simulations
Our cybersecurity lab supports various hands-on activities integral to our cybersecurity curriculum and Security Analyst Boot Camp. Each participant is assigned a Virtual Machine for these exercises.
Join the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Leaders
The remote cybersecurity lab at Fairfield University offers a comprehensive, virtual, hands-on learning environment for students and professionals. Its isolated, secure setup enables practical exercises that bridge theory and practice, preparing participants for real-world cybersecurity challenges and dynamic careers.
