According to the description available online, the Cyber Security Graduate Certificate provides a professional, technical, and policy-oriented view of the challenges created by rapid advancements in information technology.
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In very short span of Bitcoin’s life, a number of exchanges have been hacked and manipulated by cyber criminals. To address these security issues, Stanford has decided to study topics such as altcoins, Bitcoin transactions, consensus protocols, cryptocurrency, elliptical curves, hash functions, mining strategies and incentives, proposed Bitcoin regulations, and Zerocoin and zerocash, in its ‘CS251 – Crypto Currencies: Bitcoin and Friend’ course. So that students and other participants have fair understanding, the organizers are also holding a free webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The university claims that this new course will allow students to examine principles of computer systems security, including attack protection and prevention. Efforts have been made to make the course interdisciplinary by combining computer science and application so that students get vital skills needed for today’s cyber workforce. The course is ideal for information security managers, web developers, computer network architects and professionals working in computer occupations.
Participants can take courses for graduate credit and a grade as well as receive a B (3.0) or better in each course. Tuition fee has been kept $13,440 – $18,480 (12-14 units). However, there is a provision for reduced fee for SCPD member companies and United States Armed forces. More information can be obtained visiting the official web page of the university. Though the average time period to complete the certificate is 1-2 years, students must not take more than three years to complete the certificate.
The new course will be available from September 21, 2015 for Stanford students as well as professionals completing their graduate certificates in cyber security. Dan Boneh, Computer Science professor, and an expert in applied cryptography will lead the course and teach students how to tackle security across the entire Bitcoin ecosystem. Dan Boneh believes that the technology behind Bitcoin and other crypto currencies can be an indispensable tool for protecting information.
At the End of the Course Students Will Learn:
- Basic theory and practice of cryptographic techniques
- Digital forensics for identifying potential threats
- Legal issues in computer security
- Privacy policy business implications
- Designs for network perimeter defenses
- Testing methods for possible system penetrations.
Stanford: A Pro-Bitcoin Campus
Stanford campus is not new to Bitcoin, as it was perhaps the first university that promoted and offered a course to young entrepreneurs that required them to build a Bitcoin crowdfunding system. In 2013, Stanford came up with the idea under the guidance of Balaji S. Srinivasan and Vijay S. Pande. Rather than teaching the business skills of entrepreneurship, the course — titled “Startup Engineering” — taught the technical skills needed to build an online business, such as web development, market research, and development environments.
Earlier this year the Stanford professor David Mazières came up with the idea of a faster, more flexible, and more secure alternative of Bitcoin. He claimed that his technology could make digital payments and other transactions cheaper, safer, and easier for national and international transactions. Additionally, the university also has the Stanford Bitcoin Group, headed by Balaji Srinivasan, who holds a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford, and is the Co-Founder and CTO of Counsyl.
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Image source: Wikipedia
