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Those applicants require hands-on experience so that they can identify, analyze, mitigate and restore
systems after an attack. These professionals also need skills to adequately synthesize the information
and communicate root cause and Corrective Action Plans to executives.

This reality places Regent University’s Institute for Cybersecurity in a unique position to help the IT
industry close the gap between theory and practice in cyber defense. Home to one of the nation’s largest
commercial cyber ranges, Regent, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, trains IT professionals by giving
them the hands-on cyber defense skills needed in the workplace.

Don Murdoch, associate director of the institute and SANS certified GIAC Security Expert (GSE), said
training on its cyber range effectively jump-starts careers.

“We offer scenarios on the range I’ve rarely seen in my experience, as well as routine activity. To get the
variety of experience you would need at least two years in a cyber defense role. We can short-circuit that
learning curve in a week,” Murdoch said.

Murdoch is the author of the industry-impacting book, “Blue Team Handbook: Incident Response Edition.”
He adds, "When you’re hiding behind a firewall in a corporate environment, you don’t tend to get a lot of
action. The variety of attacks we offer on the range is really what’s it’s about.”

With 20 globally accessible state-of-the-art cyber range workstations, Regent’s multimillion-dollar cyber
range provides a virtualized hands-on learning environment where trainees analyze an array of
adaptable, live-fire scenarios simulating common real-world cyber-attacks, such as ransomware,
targeting traditional and Industrial Control System (ICS) networks today. Small groups work through
increasingly difficult scenarios to identify attacks and perform forensic investigations with enterprise-
grade tools found in many government and Fortune 500 companies.

The institute’s mission to set the standard in training and education doesn’t stop there. Regent’s cyber
range capability also has been integrated into a new 144-hour Certified Cyber Practitioner (RCCP)
program offering three levels of certification mapped to knowledge, skills and abilities as defined by the
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies for Incident Response and Cyber Defense
Analyst.

Each certification level incorporates commercially recognized curriculum for IT certifications but takes
training a step further by including time on the cyber range.

Despite the steady stream of cyber attacks in the news, organizational leaders often fail to fully appreciate
the magnitude of the growing cyber threat. To address this gap Regent also offers one-day interactive
workshops designed for the C-suite and upper level managers.

Topics include state and federal regulations regarding disclosure of cyber incidents, and practical
exercises train leaders to evaluate their existing cyber programs against National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) best practices.

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