Hopkinton High students learn how to catch cybercriminals at MassBay Community College

WELLESLEY — Hopkinton High School students got a chance to explore careers in the cybersecurity industry, thanks to a visit to MassBay Community College's recently built Cyber Range.

Hopkinton High junior Roselyn Morales said cybersecurity training could help with her job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

"It looks interesting and I can get a lot out of it," she said. "I can learn more about management in my regular job and learn things like data and privacy. I think it's a big help for the CNA part of it." She said she might give cybersecurity a try in the future.

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Mike Webb is a MassBay alumnus who oversees Hopkinton High's EMPOWER program, which supports students with social-emotional-behavioral needs. He noted that some students will be the first from their families to attend college, and have already done a few trips to explore careers.

Hopkinton students engage in hands-on cybersecurity activities

Along with a tour of MassBay's Wellesley Hills campus, students engaged in hands-on activities covering general cybersecurity principles, as well as cybersecurity lab activity that had them solving puzzles and identifying and fixing cyber-attacks.

Shamsi Moussavi, a computer science professor and director of the MassBay Center for Cybersecurity Education, led students through the programs.

Moussavi told the Daily News that having students exposed to cybersecurity is especially critical to those hoping to get into the industry.

"We've worked with the high schools to help students understand the industry," she said. "The lab is also to help students to do internships and jobs. The country needs more cybersecurity workers at all levels. Students are not normally exposed to working in the cybersecurity field. This exposes them to those type of jobs, and it's not something maybe explored, but it's important to protect their own security and information."

MassBay's Cyber Range was funded through state program

MassBay is currently the only community college in the state to offer an associate degree in cybersecurity. Last year, it launched its Cyber Range, a virtual environment allowing users to hone skills in detecting, intercepting and defending against simulated cyber crimes. The range includes security operations centers (SOCs), the infrastructure that enables municipal and small business IT teams to actively monitor cyberthreats and IT security vulnerabilities.

The Cyber Range opened in October, thanks to a $804,162 grant from the state. MassBay became the third organization to be funded for a cyber range but was the first to launch it.

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The state grant was part of the state's Security Operations Centers and Cyber Range Initiative, managed by the MassCyberCenter at MassTech. The Westborough-based operation supports programs that are aimed at building a new and diverse generation of professionals in the cybersecurity industry.

Will Canizalez, a Roslindale student studying cybersecurity at MassBay, praised the college's cybersecurity program and the uniqueness of the center.

"It's been quite a journey," he said. "It's an environment where students can test out the labs. There's really nothing like this."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MassBay lets Hopkinton High School students work with cybersecurity