Penn State DuBois hosts global cybersecurity summer school for students, experts

DUBOIS, Pa. - Penn State DuBois welcomed students and faculty from three continents for the Fourth International Summer School on Cybersecurity, held July 14-18. The event brought together nearly two dozen participants from Austria, South Korea and the United States for five days of hands-on training, expert-led lectures and cultural exchange aimed at preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Hosted on the Penn State DuBois campus, the summer school featured immersive programming in areas such as secure software development, artificial intelligence governance, password cracking, cloud forensics and AI-enabled threat detection. Each session was designed to help college students build practical skills, explore real-world applications and learn from internationally recognized experts in the field.

"This event is about more than just cybersecurity," said Jungwoo Ryoo, chancellor and chief academic officer at Penn State DuBois and one of the program's co-chairs. "It's about building a global network of people committed to making digital systems safer for everyone. We're proud to offer students this kind of high-impact, international experience right here in DuBois."

Faculty presenters included Hyoungshick Kim of Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea, Hae Young Lee of Cheongju University, Simon Tjoa and Christoph Lang-Muhr of the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten in Austria, and Ahmed Ismail of Penn State Altoona. Ryoo, a professor of information sciences and technology and a longtime contributor to the summer school series, also served as a lecturer and event organizer.

The academic program kicked off Monday with sessions on secure programming using large language models and probabilistic password cracking techniques. In the afternoon, a lecture on AI risk management introduced students to key governance frameworks, including the European Union's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. That evening, participants traveled to the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette for a banquet and wildlife viewing.

On Tuesday, the group toured Penn State's University Park campus, visiting locations such as the Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, the Berkey Creamery and the Penn State Dreamery.

A two-day Capture the Flag (CTF) competition followed on Wednesday and Thursday, led by Lang-Muhr. Students assumed the role of cloud forensic investigators as they worked to analyze a simulated security breach in Amazon Web Services (AWS). Using tools such as AWS Athena, CloudTrail and Linux disk forensics, they reconstructed the attacker's steps and traced the timeline of the intrusion.

"This was a unique opportunity for students to apply what they've learned in a high-pressure, real-world simulation," Ryoo said. "The CTF challenge tested not only their technical skills, but also their ability to work collaboratively under time constraints - a crucial aspect of cybersecurity works today."

Additional lectures included a session on AI applications in threat detection and response, led by Ismail, and a closing lecture on software security fundamentals, delivered by Ryoo.

The week also featured panel discussions with cybersecurity professionals and practitioners from General Motors and Philly Community Wireless, networking opportunities with faculty and peers, and evening events at local destinations and the Penn State DuBois chancellor's residence.

"We designed the summer school to be technically rigorous, but also socially and culturally enriching," said Ryoo. "Cybersecurity is a global challenge, and this event reflects that reality. Students leave here with not just new knowledge, but also new friendships and professional connections that will benefit them for years to come."

First launched in 2017, the International Summer School on Cybersecurity has also been held in Austria, South Korea and at Penn State Altoona. The 2025 edition marked the program's return after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its first time in DuBois.

The event was made possible through support from Penn State DuBois, the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten, Cheongju University and Sungkyunkwan University.