Next-Gen Cybersecurity Leaders Emerge from The Baldwin School

Since the fall semester began, students in Dr. Thomas Heverin's “Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking” class have already made a significant impact on cybersecurity at various institutions and organizations across the United States. For example, following ethical guidelines, 18 motivated Baldwin ethical hackers successfully breached the printer network at an Ivy League university, fully compromising 52 printers and demonstrating their ability to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in common devices. The students' analysis work received high praise from a senior cybersecurity manager at the university, who stated, "I'm impressed with how your students gathered and organized the information they found, and how they dug deeper to find out more about each of the users. It's this kind of tenacity that we love to see in colleagues and new job candidates!" Additionally, the students found they could compromise the AV tech and security cameras at university sports facilities and conference rooms. 

 

The Baldwin ethical hackers also discovered a critical vulnerability in the emergency alert system of a multinational company, potentially allowing unauthorized individuals to trigger false alarms and cause widespread disruption and panic. The students' findings were immediately reported to the company's security operations center (SOC), helping to prevent a potential security incident. A SOC represents a centralized facility for monitoring, detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats and incidents in real time.

 

These impressive achievements showcase the exceptional talent and dedication of our students, demonstrating how Baldwin is preparing the next generation of cybersecurity leaders to make a positive impact on the world.