Fighting cyber hacks

Like a growing number of people in today’s digital world, Bob Quant has suffered the setbacks of internet identity theft.

Quant, a former U.S. Navy master diver, had his personal information stolen from the Department of Defense database years ago and he’s also experienced the theft of his debit card data.

“It’s a problem that’s growing at an incredible rate,” Quant said.

As criminal hackers continue to find new ways to penetrate personal information and corporate databases, counter-attack efforts are also becoming more sophisticated.

Quant, an associate professor of network security at North Idaho College, is positioned to help fight back against cyberattacks.

Last fall, North Idaho College launched a cybersecurity technology program to prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing field. Quant was hired by NIC to teach the course.

The technical courses in the college’s network security administration program, Quant said, combine both networking concepts and security fundamentals with a focus on best practices required to implement and administer secure network environments.

Sponsored by the National Security Agency and certified by the National Initiative of Cybersecurity, the network security class is part of NIC’s growing Computer Information Technology program.

At an unprecedented rate, faceless “bad guys” are hacking their way into people’s lives - and often their pocketbooks. Last year in the U.S., identity theft impacted 60 million people, according to the market research firm Harris Insights and Analytics.

“Anyone with a digital footprint is vulnerable,” Quant said.

And it’s not just individuals. In 2018, internet security breaches affected Facebook, Google, Uber, major international hotel chains, phone companies and banks, to name a few.

“How many of us have received a letter saying your personal information has been stolen?” Quant said. “It happens all the time and it’s happening more frequently.”

NIC is offering one- and two-year courses in cybersecurity. The two-semester, one-year course provides students with basic knowledge of computer networking and information security. Students participating in the four-semester program “get into the real meat of cybersecurity,” said Quant, one of three associate professors who teach the college’s Computer Information Technology courses.

The employment outlook for course graduates, Quant said, is “rock solid” with competitive salaries right out of school.

NIC has been designated as a national center of academic excellence in cyber defense education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

In its first year, the NSA program has eight enrollees. Already, 11 prospective students have voiced interest in the program for next year. The class has a cap of 23 students and Quant expects it to fill up.

“This is a field that’s growing substantially nationwide and I would assume the (local) needs will continue to be very strong,” he said.