Software Engineering Institute

Software-reliant systems are acquired, built, deployed, and maintained through a coordinated set of activities referred to as a lifecycle. When implementing software-reliant systems, desired capabilities and performance parameters have historically received much more attention-and funding-than requirements for quality attributes. Yet quality attributes such as security, reliability, and adaptability largely determine a system's suitability for use in its target environment.

In the case of defense and critical infrastructure systems--or for any software-reliant networked system--this target environment includes a highly contested cyberspace. All but the simplest deployed systems are networked and therefore interact with many other systems, some of which are not trustworthy. The environment continually changes, with new systems joining and existing systems evolving. Systems that aren't designed, operated, and sustained with security in mind provide fertile ground for adversaries to insert and exploit vulnerabilities and malicious code, compromising critical mission operations. Consequences may include billions in unforeseen costs, mission failure, exposed sensitive data, destruction of property, and even loss of life.

The CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate program targets software-reliant systems engineering and acquisition activities to infuse an awareness of cybersecurity and an approach to identifying security requirements, engineering risk, supply chain risk early in the lifecycle. To learn more about the CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate, please see: CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate

The CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate program is comprised of the following five eLearning courses, which provide 15 hours of instruction and 16 exercise opportunities to apply and help each student hone an array of skills. After the learners complete the coursework, they take a cumulative examination, described below, to assess their understanding of the subject matter.

Software Assurance Methods in Support of Cybersecurity Engineering Course
This course introduces the CERT Cyber Security Engineering and Software Assurance curriculum and covers the areas critical to software assurance: security requirements, risk analysis, software supply chain assurance, mission thread analysis and measurement. This training will introduce managers, engineers and acquirers to the concepts and resources available now for their use to address software security assurance across the acquisition and development lifecycles.

SQUARE Workshop
This workshop provides (1) an overview of the popular techniques for identifying security requirements and (2) specific instructions about the Security Quality Requirements (SQUARE) Method. Identifying functional requirements, or end-user requirements, occurs early in the software development lifecycle; identifying security requirements occurs later in that lifecycle, if at all. To prevent and minimize security vulnerabilities, the SQUARE Method can be performed at the same time as functional requirements and security requirements are identified.

This workshop teaches the SQUARE Method through a series of guided exercises that apply the method's nine steps. The workshop includes the SQUARE Workshop Student Workbook, which explains each SQUARE step in detail and provides instructor guidance to reach the optimal solution.

This workshop presents five hours of instruction on security requirements engineering and the SQUARE Methodology. Students should prepare to spend an additional five hours performing the associated exercises. Additional resource materials are available for download with the course.

This course is also offered as instructor-led training at customer sites.

Security Engineering Risk Analysis (SERA) Tutorial
This tutorial describes the Security Engineering Risk Analysis (SERA) method, a systematic approach for analyzing complex security risks in software-reliant systems and systems of systems across the lifecycle and supply chain. The majority of the most dangerous cybersecurity weaknesses are related to system design. The SERA method focuses on addressing these design weaknesses as early in the lifecycle as possible; doing so corrects those weaknesses before the system is deployed.

This tutorial teaches the SERA method as applied to software engineering and guides the student to perform each activity as it relates to the analysis. Through a series of exercises in the accompanying SERA Tutorial Workbook, students perform the SERA method to the acquisition of a critical emergency system.

The tutorial presents two hours of video instruction related to the SERA method. Students should prepare to spend an additional two hours performing the tutorial exercises.

Supply Chain Risk Management Course
Most organizations purchase products and services that become part of their hardware, service, and software supply chain; consequently, they inherit cybersecurity risks from these third-party components. Organizations must use sound supply chain risk management processes and practices to address the growing concern of these inherited cybersecurity risks.

This course explores the complex, multi-layered information and communication technologies that are related to an organization's supply chain and focuses specifically on the software supply chain. A critical early step in addressing supply chain cybersecurity is for organizations to develop an acquisition strategy that defines supply-chain-related actions.

This course presents one and a half hours of instruction on effective acquisition security risk management and explores three cases that illustrate a variety of supply chain relationships and vulnerabilities.

Advanced Threat Modeling Course
In this course, students take a deep dive into the threat modeling techniques that were introduced as part of risk assessment in the SQUARE Workshop. In this Advanced Threat Modeling course, the STRIDE Methodology is expanded, and three additional threat modeling techniques are taught, including the most recently developed threat modeling method.

This course presents two hours and 20 minutes of instruction and four exercises that apply the threat modeling methods in different scenarios. The course includes the Advanced Threat Modeling Student Workbook, which provides step-by-step instructions for applying the threat models and instructor guidance to lead to an optimal solution.

CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate Examination
This examination provides an objective validation of the student's knowledge and understanding of the cybersecurity engineering, risk management, and threat modeling concepts presented in the required courses. The examination consists of 58 multiple choice questions. Students proceed through the examination at their convenience over four hours. Students must achieve a passing score of 80%.

Students must successfully complete all program components to earn the CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate.