Course Description

Computer network operations (CNO) software development is very much like traditional software development: code needs to be modular, reliable, and well-documented, with one major exception - there is an adversary.

Logistics

We provide all equipment and software for training. Each student will receive a computer and all necessary software access during training.

Prerequisites

Students are presumed to have a background in software development. Some may have a background in Linux, some in Windows, some in C, and some in Java. Still, they all need the ability to think logically and methodically about software development. In this CNO Development course, we leverage the software development mindset to train students in effective, suitable, and survivable capability development practices. Note that there is an emphasis on leveraging provided access primitives instead of focusing on vulnerability research and exploitation.

Capability Evaluation

Weapon systems are evaluated based on operational effectiveness, Suitability, and Survivability. We create requirements sheets for each exercise with criteria for each metric.

Operational Effectiveness

The operational effectiveness of each capability will be exercise dependent. For example, some exercises will require data collection and exfiltration, and others will require effects on the target.

Survivability

Survivability is a pervasive theme in our courses. It is the adversarial model through which solutions are evaluated, and choices are made.

Adversary Capability Implant Metric

Collection Stealth
Detection Camouflage
Correlation Independence
Attribution Anonymity
Removal Persistence

Suitability

Suitability metrics for implants are how well the implant is documented, can be transitioned to other team members, is modular or upgradeable, and is autonomous or interactive.

About Boston Cybernetics Institute

Boston Cybernetics Institute, PBC was created by former MIT Lincoln Lab cybersecurity researchers to give meaningful niche cyber instruction to a new generation of cybersecurity professionals.

We avoid the normal style of teaching with PowerPoint and lectures, opting to provide instead real-life engaging instruction that takes place in a customized environment. We have given our style of instruction to multiple DoD agencies, US commercial companies, and international companies.

Instructors at Boston Cybernetics Institute

Jeremy Blackthorne

Jeremy Blackthorne is a Lead Instructor at the Boston Cybernetics Institute (BCI). Before BCI, he was a researcher in the Cyber System Assessments group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Blackthorne is the co-creator and instructor for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) courses: Modern Binary Exploitation, Spring 2015 and Malware Analysis, Spring 2013.

Blackthorne has published research at various academic and industry conferences. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is an alumnus of RPISEC. He holds a BS and MS in computer science.

Clark Wood

Clark Wood is a security researcher and instructor at the Boston Cybernetics Institute (BCI), focusing on Reverse Engineering, Exploitation, and CI/CD. He recently built a Reverse-Engineering and Exploitation platform for a DoD customer and is the Lead Engineer for BCI’s Government Services.

Clark holds a BA in Economics from the University of Florida, a BS and MS in Computer Science from Florida State University, and a Master’s in Technology and Policy from MIT.

Rodolfo Cuevas

Rodolfo Cuevas is a security researcher and instructor at BCI, focusing on understanding how design constraints can be used to limit the impact of an attacker on a system. His research combines the adversarial mindset with approaches influenced by Systems and Control Theory.

Rodolfo holds a BS, M.Eng., and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University.

Reed Porada

Reed Porada is a security researcher and instructor at BCI, focused on getting to the "so what" of both defensive and offensive cyber measures. Reed also leads BCI training in Cyber Systems Analysis, focusing on developing systems-thinking skills of developers up to managers.

Reed holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and an MS in Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

COURSE PRICE

Upon request

COURSE LENGTH:

13 weeks

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