Pedagogical Basis of Live Cybersecurity Exercises

Abstract

The digitalisation of societies, working life, and education is changing their forms and practices. As a component of digitalisation and new ways of operating in a digital domain, change has also brought with it new risks for the digital operating environment. ICT infrastructure constitutes a critical new development, and cybersecurity competency needs for managing digital domains are growing and evolving. To provide the knowledge and skills needed for working life, education and training environments must also evolve in response to change. As part of cybersecurity education, cybersecurity exercises have an established position in competency development. This study examined the pedagogical principles of cybersecurity training and identified the pedagogical requirements for a comprehensive cyber arenastyle education platform. The learning of individuals was measured through both on-site and online cybersecurity exercises. Methodologies for evaluating cybersecurity exercises were studied as part of the exercise lifecycle. The study also examined the requirements for continuous learning from both curriculum design and cybersecurity in-service training perspectives. Keywords: cybersecurity, cybersecurity exercise, cybersecurity education, inservice training, cyber range, cyber arena, pedagogy