Tag Archives: cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Engineer Position Available at Bayer

Job Description:

As an Associate Cybersecurity Engineer within Bayer’s Medical Device Cybersecurity group, you play a crucial role in securing Bayer Radiology medical devices and software against potential cyber threats. Your responsibilities include reviewing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, assessing their likelihood of exploitation, and evaluating potential impacts on the safety and effectiveness of Bayer Radiology medical devices. You will also design and develop solutions to mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with Bayer Radiology medical devices, software, and IT products. This position operates on a global scale, ensuring the security of Bayer’s medical devices worldwide.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

  • Fulfill requirements defined by others;
  • Support the development of one design element at a time within a selected discipline;
  • Learn about the product and clinical applications;
  • Gain a guided understanding of direct interfaces (inputs/outputs) within relevant processes;
  • Participate in cybersecurity design reviews;
  • Receive clearly defined objectives and instructions from a more experienced lead engineer, cybersecurity engineer, or supervisor;
  • Accurately follow directions;
  • Communicate work activities effectively;
  • Contact and gather information from suppliers;
  • Communicate work activities effectively.
  • The primary location for this role is Indianola, PA (Pittsburgh, PA area).

For more information or to submit an application, click here: Cybersecurity Engineer

Advanced Persistent Threat Presentation by Lucas Franklin

Please join us for a speaker series presentation sponsored by the Top Secret Colonials. The presentation will be given by Lucas Franklin and will be focused on Advanced Persistent Threats.

  • Date: October 15th
  • Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
  • Place: Wheatley Atrium

Lucas Franklin will be sharing insights from a notable cyber incident he encountered involving suspected Russian advanced persistent threats (APTs) during his tenure at #1 Cochran. Prior to pursuing a graduate degree, Lucas served as the head of cybersecurity at #1 Cochran, where he led efforts to safeguard the organization’s digital infrastructure.

Lucas Franklin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from IUP in 2022. Shortly after, he joined the IT department at #1 Cochran, where he rapidly took on key responsibilities including overseeing major acquisitions, leading technical training initiatives, and managing cybersecurity operations. In 2024, he departed the company to pursue a Master’s in Cybersecurity at WGU.

Dr. Kassa Wins Best Paper Award at ACMSE

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Dr. Yonas Kassa has been honored with the Best Full Paper Award at the 2025 ACM Southeast (ACMSE) Conference, which took place from April 24-26, 2025, at Southeast Missouri State University. As the oldest continuously running annual conference of the ACM, ACMSE serves as a vital platform for students, faculty, researchers, and industry professionals to share their latest research across all facets of computer science.

Dr. Kassa’s award-winning paper, a collaborative effort with four other researchers, is titled “Secure Edge Computing Reference Architecture for Data-driven Structural Health Monitoring: Lessons Learned from Implementation and Benchmarking.” You can access the paper here.

Congratulations to Dr. Kassa and his co-authors on this significant achievement!

Jason Haddox and Blake Gabriel will hold Security Lecture – February 27th

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Jason Haddox from Dick’s Sporting Goods and Blake Gabriel of Proofpoint will be holding a lecture on Wednesday, February 27th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm in the Wheatley Atrium. This is a Top Secret Colonials sponsored event. Students will receive one (1) hour of SET credit for attending. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Please read below for information about the presenters.

Jason Haddox – Senior Security Analyst, Dick’s Sporting Goods
RMU Graduate Class of 2003 – Bachelor’s in MIS

Jason got his start in IT working as a student tech at the RMU computer center in 1999 – he worked all 4 years while going to school. He has 15 years of full time IT experience and currently works as a Sr. Security Analyst in the SOC at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Blake Gabriel – Director Field Sales, Proofpoint
RMU Graduate Class of 1992 – Bachelors’ Degree in Marketing

Landed an internship with Haamco, a paper supplier that had a partnership with RMU. He sold papers to small business, 7-11 and retail stores. Back then it was all about point of sale. Went into the IT space upon graduation and he has been selling software for over 27 years in various roles and forms. He has prior experience working at IBM, Computer Associates, Intellect Design Arena, SEEC, Oracle, and now as a Director at Proofpoint leading the Mid-Atlantic Region.

U.S. Steel seeking Summer 2019 Interns

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U.S. Steel is encouraging highly motivated students interested in IT and Computer Science to join our Summer 2019 intern cohort.

U.S. Steel is one of the largest steel sheet and tubular products manufactures in the world. They produce steel used to create the everyday products used in the automotive, appliance, container, industrial machinery, construction, and oil and gas industries.

U.S. Steel’s internship program provides meaningful, hands-on work experience while helping students develop career-related skills. Students can participate in the program as either a full-time summer intern or a part-time co-op working during the school year.

Below are direct links to the open roles in the Pittsburgh area:

9718BR: U.S. Steel Cyber Security Internship

9455BR: U.S. Steel Programming Research Engineering Internship

Cybersecurity in the Automotive Industry

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Over the past decade or two, RMU has grown into a rather diverse university in regards to the variety of degrees available. With the influx of new technology during this time period, the need for cybersecurity has risen exponentially. RMU’s cyberforensics and information security program has done nothing but grow since its inception. If you were to ask students in the program where their dream job would be, most would probably respond with a government, law enforcement, or financial institution of some sort. If you happen to ask the same question at some point in the near future, you may be surprised to discover students who are looking for work in the automotive industry.

As I mentioned before, the growth of technology and integration of tech into our everyday lives has created new weak points for cyber criminals to exploit. Computers are increasingly being used in vehicles to control and operate basic functions and a number of features, such as remote engine start, can now be controlled through the use of smartphone apps. To combat the risk that modern vehicles are threatened with, Volkswagen is teaming up with Yuval Diskin, the former head of Israel’s intelligence agency. The joint venture was created with the goal of protecting the next generation of cars from hackers. The new company, called CyMotive Technologies, will be primarily run by acting chairman, Diskin, while Volkswagen will possess a 40% stake in the company.

This may be the first time you have heard of a cybersecurity firm dedicated specifically to automotive security, but it won’t be the last. IBM and Harman are two other major companies that have previously invested money in other Israeli firms focused on automotive security. These companies are hoping to restrict and limit automotive hacking while it is still in its infant stages. While we do not know what automotive advances will look like in the future, or what kind of features will become the new standard, one thing can be assumed for sure: the need for competent cybersecurity professionals will continue to increase.

Security Presentation by Christopher Mellen, PNC – Tuesday, April 5th

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Christopher Mellen, CIO with PNC Financial Services and former Director of Information Management within the Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Executive Office of the President of the United States (Whitehouse), will present in the Wheatley Atrium on Tuesday, April 5th from 3:00 – 4:30pm. The Top Secret Colonials are sponsoring the event and there will be pizza provided. PNC recruiters for interns and full-time positions will also be attending. Students attending will obtain SET credit for their participation.

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Christopher Mellen Bio:
Chris currently leads the Strategic Security Initiatives group within the office of the Chief Information Security Officer with PNC Financial Services.  Chris manages the overall strategic direction of the organization as well as operational management responsibility for Identity Access Management, Mainframe security, Attack Surface Management, and Applied Cryptography.

Prior to joining PNC, Chris was the Director of Information Risk Management within the Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Executive Office of the President of the United States.  His directorate consisted of the Records Management Branch, Cyber Integrity (eDiscovery and investigations), Information Assurance and Security Operations.

Chris has worked as the Director of Professional Services with SAIC’s Incident Response, Computer Forensics and eDiscovery Service groups. He also created and managed the Professional Services Division for AccessData providing incident response, digital investigations and litigation support services. Additionally, Chris has served as a Manager with Guidance Software Professional Services, a Special Agent with the Department of Defense, Cyber Counterintelligence Activity, and a Computer Crime Specialist at the National White Collar Crime Center in Fairmont, WV.

Chris also spent 11 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. While in the Marines, Chris served with the Military Police, Customs, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (Cyber Investigations and Operations).

Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Colorado Technical University and Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Boston University.

Wombat Security – Wednesday, February 24th

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The Top Secret Colonials are sponsoring a presentation by Wombat Security on Wednesday, February 24th from 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

Wombat Security is a cyber security company whose goal is to deliver software-based cyber awareness and training to help employees understand the risks associated with improper cyber practices and subsequently correct their behavior to strength an organization’s overall security environment. Wombat utilizes a Continuous Training Methodology to serve its customers, assessing the vulnerability of employees through a variety of custom knowledge assessments before seeking to educate on those flaws to maximize learning through a broad set of interactive training modules. Those customers who have implemented this approach have experienced up to a 90% reduction in successful phishing attacks and malware infections on their company.

This presentation will focus on the products Wombat delivers to its customers. During the presentation, Sean Ehrman and Jake Pancari will simulate a mock-phishing attack and demonstrate the training modules customers would go through should they fall for said-attack. They will also discuss the dangers of social engineering while reviewing a real case study before ending in a Q&A segment.

Students will earn 1 SET credit for attending.

Here is their website: https://www.wombatsecurity.com/

Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Honors Program Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched the 2016 Secretary’s Honors Program Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative. The initiative targets current undergraduate and graduate students and is a part of the Department’s efforts to build a cybersecurity talent pipeline by working with secondary and post-secondary institutions and other key partners in academia and the private sector.

Through the Secretary’s Honors Program Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative, students are able to learn about the DHS cybersecurity mission by completing hands-on cybersecurity work and building technical experience in key areas such as digital forensics, network diagnostics, and incident response.

In the 2016 Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative program cycle, over 80 student volunteer assignments are available at over 40 local DHS field offices across the country and eight participating DHS Components, to include Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), Office of Policy/Cyber, Infrastructure and Resilience Policy, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and United States Coast Guard (USCG).

The Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative application period is open until January 29, 2016 through the USAJOBS portal (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/425296700).

For more information, contact the DHS CyberSkills Management Support Initiative (CMSI) at CMSI@hq.dhs.gov