Center for Cybersecurity & Intelligence Studies
Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD)
The Center for Cyber Security & Intelligence Studies (CCSIS) contributes to the knowledge, skills and abilities of current and emerging cybersecurity professionals to guide their logic, critical thinking and ethics through affiliated graduate programs, an experiential lab and community outreach activities. The CCSIS is housed in University of Detroit Mercy's College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences.
Value to the Nation and Community
The Center for Cyber Security & Intelligence Studies celebrates almost two decades of evolving excellence through the embodiment of our teaching in graduates who have gone on to work for Federal security agencies, Fortune 500 companies and not-for-profit organizations. In addition, our leading-edge cybersecurity lab provides dual value by providing our students with the tools to help law enforcement recover and validate through digital forensics.
Validated Programs of Study
University of Detroit Mercy’s B.S. in Cybersecurity and our M.S. in Cybersecurity Management have been validated by the National Security Agency.
University of Detroit Mercy is designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
External News
Krebs On Security
- The cybersecurity community on Reddit responded in disbelief this month when a self-described Air National Guard member with top secret security clearance began questioning the […]
- A 21-year-old Florida man at the center of a prolific cybercrime group known as "Scattered Spider" was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today, […]
- A 22-year-old Oregon man has been arrested on suspicion of operating "Rapper Bot," a massive botnet used to power a service for launching distributed denial-of-service […]
- Cybercriminal groups peddling sophisticated phishing kits that convert stolen card data into mobile wallets have recently shifted their focus to targeting customers of brokerage services, […]
- Microsoft today released updates to fix more than 100 security flaws in its Windows operating systems and other software. At least 13 of the bugs […]
- A new documentary series about cybercrime airing next month on HBO Max features interviews with Yours Truly. The four-part series follows the exploits of Julius […]
Secure World
- Farmers Insurance has disclosed a data breach affecting 1.1 million customers, with stolen data including names, addresses, dates of birth, […]
- Mobile banking trojans are evolving, and Hook v3 is a stark reminder of how sophisticated and dangerous these threats are […]
- You've built a career on securing networks, defending against APTs, and patching vulnerabilities. You've seen it all, from sophisticated malware […]
- Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs has uncovered a highly-sophisticated phishing campaign targeting Microsoft Windows systems with a high-severity risk profile. The campaign uses […]
- As the automotive industry leans further into digital transformation—embracing connected systems, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), AI, and over-the-air (OTA) capabilities—the imperative […]
- According to a recent presentation by Roger A. Grimes, Data-Driven Defense Evangelist at KnowBe4, current cyber defenses have failed to […]
Dark Reading
- The company said the threat actor abused its Claude Code service to "an unprecedented degree," automating reconnaissance, intrusions, and credential […]
- "ZipLine" appears to be a sophisticated and carefully planned campaign that has already affected dozens of small, medium, and large […]
- In response to a cyberattack that was first detected on Sunday, the governor shut down in-person services for state offices […]
- The Mustang Panda APT is hijacking Google Chrome browsers when they attempt to connect to new networks and redirecting them […]
- A group tracked as UNC6395 engaged in "widespread data theft" via compromised OAuth tokens from a third-party app called Salesloft […]
- The financially motivated threat group used cloud resources to conduct a complex, ransomware-style attack against an enterprise victim.
Resources
- Detroit Mercy Cybersecurity Club – Open to all majors, the Detroit Mercy Cybersecurity Club, sponsored by the Detroit Chapter of ISACA, is an opportunity for students to delve deeper into computers and cybersecurity.
- NICCS – Cybersecurity CISA Resources and Tools, Cybersecurity Training Resources, Education Resources.
- TryHackMe – An interactive cybersecurity training platform offering guided labs and challenges to learn hacking and security concepts in a hands-on environment.
- Hack The Box – A penetration testing platform with virtual labs that challenge users to hack into simulated systems, enhancing offensive security skills and knowledge.
- NCAE Cyber Games – A competition platform for students participating in cyber games, supported by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, aimed at developing practical cybersecurity skills through competitive events.
- CyberSeek—To help close the cybersecurity skills gap, CyberSeek provides detailed, actionable data on supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market.
- CyberMission.tech – A Department of Defense (DoD) cyber initiative with high-tech, hands-on opportunities for military personnel, Veterans, and the public.
- CISA Cybersecurity Resources: Telework guidance and best practices, assessments, prevention, and response resources, cybersecurity awareness and best practices resources, misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation resources, mitigating cyber risks to the nation’s critical infrastructure.
Security Resources
Goals & Unique Features of the Center
Following the goals for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, the Center provides education, advanced security research and service to:
- To advance the cybersecurity capabilities of the workforce within the Detroit Mercy service region as well as nationally.
- To increase the number of highly educated, digitally literate citizens within underrepresented people and veterans and to produce professional specialists in areas of critical need.
- To generate educational, outreach and research activities that will ensure the protection of the critical infrastructure of the United States as a whole.
Internal News
Thu, April 17, 2025
During the April 2025 ISACA Detroit Chapter Meeting, Team Neopolitan, comprised of Preston Duller, John-Paul Marvin, and Mark Formosa, were presented with the fi...
Mon, March 17, 2025
From Friday, March 14th, 2025, to Sunday, March 16th, 2025, five local universities competed in the 11th annual ISACA Detroit Cybersecurity Scholarship Competition, comp...
Sat, March 1, 2025
From 11 am-7 pm on March 1st, 2025, twelve UDM students worked to score points in the NCAE Cyber Games competition. These students were ...
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Affiliated Faculty
Cybersecurity & Information Systems and Criminal Justice Programs
- Gregory Laidlaw, DMIT, department chair and lecturer of Cybersecurity & Information Systems
- Dan Shoemaker, Ph,D., director of the Master of Science in the Information Assurance Program
- Erick Barnes, department chair, instructor of Criminal Justice and Director of the Master of Science in Intelligence Analysis Program
- Anne Kohnke, Ph.D., director of the Center for Cyber Security & Intelligence Studies and associate professor of Cybersecurity & Information Systems
- Charles Wilson, J.D., associate professor of Criminal Justice
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Cybersecurity Center Advisory Board
- William Bowen '03, '05, U.S. Army, TACOM
- Edward Bobola III, senior master sergeant, 110 OG (USA)
- Mike Brennan, founder of Michigan News Network
- Shaun Cavanaugh, chief information security officer at the National Park Service
- Marrci Conner, faculty at Henry Ford College
- Kurt Gollinger, chief operating officer at Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
- Jason Grembi '02, author of Secure Software Development, certified information systems security professional and senior cybersecurity architect, Vehicle Services department at General Motors
- Michael Huguley '07, Infrastructure Manager / Infrastructure Architect
- Keith Jaroszewski, '09, '10, senior penetration Tester at Synchrony
- J.T. Jones '05, deputy cybersecurity program manager at the US Army in Europe G6
- Daniel Kennedy, principal consultant at Forensic Criminology Associates
- Kristin Judge, founder of Cyber Crime Support Network
- Dan Lohrmann, chief strategist and chief security officer at Security Mentor, Inc.
- Christopher Martella '15, attorney at Kemp Klein Law Firm
- Richard Marshall, chairman of the board at Cinturion
- Janell McLemore '09, access manager at the U.S. Department of Defense
- Sajay Rai, President, certified public accountant, certified information systems security professional and certified information security manager at Securely Yours
- James L. Rainey, Ph.D., III, '95, '97, information technology specialist at the U.S. Government
- Stephanie Scheurmann, cyber threat intelligence specialist at Ford Motor Company
- Bob Sherman, associate professor and chair of Computer Information Systems at Sinclair Community College
- Ken Sigler '98, faculty at Oakland Community College
- Christopher Sorensen, senior cybersecurity researcher at GE Digital
- Ryan Spangler, senior account executive cybersecurity practice at TEKSystems
- Mary Sparks, '05, WebFOCUS senior SDA, Ford Motor Company
- Caston Thomas, President at InterWorks, LLC
- Dave Trader, chief strategy officer at GalaxE Solutions
- Tabice Ward, director/computer and information science and engineering (CISE) at DTE Energy
- Jeff Weber, Department of Defense
- Brad Wilkerson, principal engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering
- Angela Williams, enterprise information security officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan