Applied Cybersecurity Community Clinic

The Applied Cybersecurity Community Clinic consists of two, 3-credit hour courses hosted by the UT Austin School of Information. During the first semester course “Applied Cybersecurity Foundations,” students learn key cybersecurity defense concepts and skills, including vulnerability assessment, network configuration and security, access controls, authorization techniques, responding to a cyberattack, and penetration testing, as well as associated skills required to implement these abilities effectively in a real business or non-profit institutional setting. The course sequence is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Students then deploy these skills, under supervision, in a real world setting in the second semester course “Applied Cybersecurity Clinic Practicum,” thereby gaining invaluable practical experience.  The clients, for their part, get the benefit of a substantially improved defensive posture.  

The course is taught and supervised by Professor Francesca Lockhart of the Strauss Center. The application process will open on this page on Monday, March 4th, 2024. The ability to make a two-semester commitment is required for registration. No prior experience or knowledge required. 

• Provide free, student-led cybersecurity services to Texas-based small businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations below the security poverty line.
  • Possible Services:
    • Pre-incident risk assessments
    • Identify and evaluate asset criticality
    • Improvements to defenses
      • Security policy creation
      • Security device and software configuration
      • Vulnerability management
      • Backup and recovery testing
      • Risk management
    • Penetration testing
    • Post-incident mitigation and recovery
    • Training and awareness
    • Pipeline to advanced services, trainings, and resources
• Provide UT Austin undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on cybersecurity experience, ultimately helping them pursue careers in cybersecurity, national security, emergency management, and related fields.
• Leverage the strong tradition of cybersecurity leadership at UT-Austin to foster robust cyber resilience in Austin and the State of Texas.

Participation is limited to a small number of exceptional undergraduate and graduate students from any college or school. Strong candidates will be able to commit to two semesters of coursework and possess proven teamwork skills, an interest in learning and applying the technical aspects of cybersecurity, and a commitment to improving cyber resilience in Texas. No prior cybersecurity knowledge or experience required. 

Requirements for the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 Application: 

1. Students must plan to be registered UT students in residence at UT during the semesters of Fall 2024 - Spring 2025. Students must also be available to take the Fall 2024 class in-person on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 - 5:00 pm in GDC 1.406.
2. Students should have a GPA of at least 3.25. 
3. Students should be either an upper-division undergraduate student, or a graduate student in any major or degree program with the exception of graduate students enrolled in the MSISP and MSIS programs within the iSchool. Graduate students are encouraged to connect with their advisors or track supervisor to obtain approval to enroll in the course sequence before applying.
4. Students must be able to complete all activities required during the program, including the Fall 2024 course and the Spring 2025 clinic course, which includes regular meetings with their assigned student team, the course instructor, and the client organization. 

Applications should include: 

1. A detailed statement of interest that explains your academic and professional interests and why you are seeking to participate in the Applied Cybersecurity Community Clinic.  
2. Résumé with your complete contact information, including email address, UT EID, and phone number. 
3. One unofficial college transcript (academic summary) which includes grades for the most recent semester. 
4. Short answers (250 words or less) to both of the two following cybersecurity-related questions:
   1. Please describe who or what poses the largest contemporary cybersecurity threat to US-based businesses and explain why.
   2. While surveying your client’s cybersecurity posture, you observe a vulnerability that you know how to remediate. However, this fix/process was not taught in the first semester of the clinic, and you’ve never done it before. What next steps do you take? 

Please contact Francesca Lockhart at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

Apply via this link.

Applications for the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 cohort will be open from Monday, March 4th, to Friday, March 29th at 11:59 p.m.