Software Engineering Institute

Pittsburgh, Pa., March 14, 2023—The CERT Division of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University today announced the launch of the CERT Applied Data Science for Cybersecurity Professional Certificate program. Designed by CERT Division machine learning research scientists and cybersecurity experts at the SEI, the program is a series of courses teaching ML and AI techniques and best practices for the analysis of cybersecurity data using the tools of data science.

“Strategic use of data is a crucial and growing part of the organizational security, cybersecurity, and the national security mission,” said Thomas Scanlon, technical manager for the CERT Division’s Data Science team. “The defense acquisition workforce needs to increase capability in using data science to accomplish the many goals it faces.”

The new program introduces foundational concepts of statistical analysis as a precursor to analyzing data for cybersecurity. SEI instructors teach concepts and techniques to apply data analysis in the context of NetFlow, malware, and digital forensics data. Additionally, students have opportunities to apply what they learn in specifically designed exercises. The program concludes with an examination assessing the student’s comprehension of the material.

The program consists of four components plus the examination delivered entirely online through the SEI eLearning platform with exercise labs for students to apply what they have learned:

• Fundamental of Statistics Applied to Cybersecurity (6 hours)
• Advanced Analytics—NetFlow (5 hours)
• Advanced Analytics—Malware (5 hours)
• Advanced Analytics—Digital Forensics (6 hours)
• Applied Data Science for Cybersecurity Certificate Examination

Those enrolled in the program have around-the-clock access to the course materials and 24 months in which to complete the coursework and pass the capstone examination.

A total of 2.2 continuing education units (CEUs) may be earned by completing the four SEI eLearning components. CEUs may be accepted for many different types of professional certifications.

To learn more about the CERT Applied Data Science for Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, visit www.sei.cmu.edu/go/certapplieddatascience.