Overview

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become prominent not just in terms of the number of users on their platforms, but also because various nefarious actors have found ways to use these platforms to their benefit. This course will provide participants with an understanding of how social media works, and the skills necessary to analyze influence campaigns in social media.

As the explicit use of social media for cybersecurity related attacks has increased, so has the important of understanding the human factors of cybersecurity. This course will provide an overview of Social Cybersecurity, as well as tools that are used for conducting and mitigating such attacks.

Sample instructor(s)

Kathleen M. Carley

Duration

This course could be 3,6 or 9 hours

Customizable?

Yes, this course can be tailored towards professionals with more of a technology background, or more of a policy background. The 3-hour version of the course will provide a high-level overview and focus on a subset of course topics, while the 6 hour version will provide details on influence campaigns, the way network science can be used to address social cybersecurity, and the nature of the denziens of cyberspace, and the 9 hour version will also provide demos of software for BEND analysis, maneuver interpretation, and discuss data issues.

In-person or remote

There are three variations: remote, in-person, or a hybrid model with live discussion in a webinar and pre-recorded sessions.

Intended audience

This course is appropriate for professionals working in either technology or policy.

Takeaways

What is social cybersecurity. How influence campaigns operate. What are social media analytics. How can intent behind influence campaigns be understood.

Course topics

  • Social cybersecurity.
  • Influence campaigns.
  • Disinformation and misinformation.
  • BEND approach to information maneuvers in cyberspace.
  • Bots, trolls, cyborgs and memes.
  • How are bots, trolls, cyborgs and memes using in influence campaigns.
  • Social media analytics.
  • Network science metrics for social cybersecurity.
  • Tools for BEND assessment.
  • Data issues,

 

Prerequisites

Experience using one or more social media platforms is recommended but not required.

Materials

Key papers, PDF of slides, and in the longer courses, sample data will be provided.

Contact us

To learn about our custom programs and any upcoming open enrollments, reach out to Michael Lisanti.