Class:International Summer School - Cyber Security
Delivery:In Person - Penn State DuBois
Dates:July 13, 2025 - July 18, 2025
Cost:Conference Plus Accommodations - $1,000
(includes conference registration, hotel, and all meals)
Conference Only - $400
(includes conference registration and lunches)
Register:Register Now

International Summer School - Cybersecurity

Get ready to step into the world of cybersecurity with experts from around the globe in this hands-on, student-focused gathering. Designed for college students eager to build practical skills and explore emerging tech, this event offers an exciting mix of technical challenges, foundational learning, and real-world applications including, but not limited to:

  • Cloud Forensics in Action
    Investigate AWS Security Incidents in a Capture The Flag Challenge. Dive into the role of a cloud forensic investigator in this immersive Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge. Students will investigate a simulated AWS security incident involving S3 buckets, EC2 instances, and AWS logging services. Using tools like AWS Athena, CloudTrail, and Linux disk forensics, participants will trace the attacker’s steps and reconstruct the breach timeline.
  • Software Security Fundamentals
    Learn the essential principles of software security and how to apply them in real-world systems. This session covers key concepts such as secure design patterns, threat modeling, and tactics for building robust applications that can withstand modern cyber threats.
  • AI Risk Management
    With AI increasingly integrated into everyday life, understanding its risks is more important than ever. This session introduces students to the growing field of AI governance, including the EU’s new AI Act. Participants will explore how to identify and mitigate risks in AI systems using current risk management frameworks and strategies.
  • AI Applications in Threat Detection and Response
    Discover how AI is transforming cybersecurity operations. Students will explore how machine learning and AI-driven systems can detect anomalies, respond to threats in real time, and support security teams in mitigating cyberattacks more efficiently.
  • How to ensure secure programming using Large Language Models
    AI-generated code is on the rise—but how secure is it? This session explores the long-standing security concerns tied to LLMs, with studies showing that a significant percentage of AI-generated code in security-critical contexts is vulnerable. Students will learn about techniques like static analysis-based filtering, fine-tuning with secure code, and prompt engineering to improve output quality. The session also covers how LLMs can be leveraged for vulnerability detection, the risks of poisoning attacks, and strategies to encourage more secure coding practices—like replacing functional code with well-documented skeletons to foster critical review.
  • Cracking Passwords Using Probabilistic Context-Free Grammar
    Compared to traditional password cracking techniques, such as brute-force and dictionary attacks, probabilistic techniques have been shown to bring better results for human-created passwords. In this session, students will learn about a probabilistic password cracking technique, in which a probabilistic context-free grammar (PCFG) is defined using a set of training of disclosed passwords then used to generate passwords.

Whether you're curious about cloud investigations, passionate about secure coding, or interested in the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, this summer school delivers practical insights and valuable experience to help you grow as a future cybersecurity professional.

Itinerary:

Sunday, July 13, 2025

  • 4:00 pm – Welcome Reception

Monday, July 14, 2025

  • 9:00 am – Welcome
  • 10:00 am - How to ensure secure programming using Large Language Models with Dr. Hyoungshick Kim
  • 12:00 pm – Lunch
  • 1:00 pm - Cracking Korean Users' Passwords Using PCFG with Dr. Hae Young Lee
  • 3:00 pm - AI Risk Management with Dr. Simon Tjoa

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

  • 9:00 am – Field trip to Penn State University Park in State College, Pennsylvania to tour the campus and the Pennsylvania State Data Center, lunch provided
  • 5:00 pm – Return to Penn State DuBois

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

  • 9:00 am – Cloud Forensics in Action - Capture the Flag, Cybersecurity Style Competition with Christoph Lang-Muhr, BSc
  • 1:00 pm – Lunch
  • 2:00 pm – Continue Cloud Forensics Competition

Thursday, July 17, 2025

  • 9:00 am – Continue Cloud Forensics Competition
  • 1:00 pm – Lunch
  • 2:00 pm - AI Applications in Threat Detection and Response with Dr. Ahmed Ismail

Friday, July 18, 2025

  • 9:00 am – Software Security Fundamentals with Dr. Jungwoo Ryoo
  • 11:00 am – Farewell and Closing
  • 1:00 pm – Lunch

Faculty:

  • Dr. Ahmed Ismail, Assistant Teaching Professor, Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State Altoona

  • Dr. Hyoungshick Kim, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University

  • Christoph Lang-Muhr, BSc, Academic Director Information Security (MA), University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten

  • Dr. Hae Young Lee, Assistant Professor Digital Security, Cheongju University

  • Dr. Jungwoo Ryoo, Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Penn State DuBois

  • Dr. Simon Tjoa, Department Head, Institute of IT Security Research, University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten