Exploring game design for cybersecurity training

Cybersecurity awareness and cyber skills training are vitally important and challenging. A huge number of attacks against everyday users occur routinely. Prevention techniques and responses are wide ranging but are only effective if used effectively. The objective of this research is to teach everyday users the requisite cybersecurity skills through gaming, beyond the current state of practice. Because the skill level of the trainees is also wide ranging, from causal computer users to software engineers to system administrators to managers, the games must also be capable of training this wide range of computer users. Computer games can provide a media for delivering training in an engaging format at levels appropriate for the individual trainees. In this paper we (1) describe the state of practice by describing the gaming tool used in most cyber challenges at high schools and colleges in the U.S, i.e., the cybersecurity gaming tool CyberNEXS™ (Science Applications International Corporation), (2) outline some of the additional topics that should be addressed in cybersecurity training and (3) note some other approaches to game design that might prove useful for future cybersecurity training game development beyond CyberNEXS.