The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab presents

Identifying and Addressing Concerning
Behavior in the Digital Age

Jason W. Wells
Graduate Student, Cybersecurity MPS
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

12:00–1pm Friday, 8 May 2020, webex

The United States Secret Service (USSS) is widely known as the premier law enforcement agency that is charged with protecting some of the most important political figures in the world. Some of these protectees include the President of the United States, the Vice-President, the First Family and Second Family, and Heads of State visiting the United States, to name a few. A major part of the protective mission of the USSS is focused around “protective intelligence,” where agents are trained to identify concerning and threatening behavioral indicators in others, and then to address those issues in a proactive and positive manner and ensure that the community is safe from harm. This proactive methodology has been researched and applied for decades and has a very high rate of success. Now, other law enforcement agencies throughout the country have started to apply this training to their agents and officers. Can these methodologies be used and/or modified to recognize threats in cyberspace as well?

Jason Wells is a former special agent with the United States Secret Service, where he served for nine years from 2005 – 2014. During that time, Mr. Wells was extensively trained in identifying and addressing threat-related and concerning behavioral indicators, and how to address those behaviors in a positive and proactive manner. In 2016, Mr. Wells published his first book Our Path to Safety: A U.S. Secret Service Agent’s Guide to Creating Safe Communities (ISBN-13: 978-0-9982488-0-6) on how the community can identify these behavioral conditions in the same way that federal law enforcement does every day. Mr. Wells earned his undergraduate degree from the Virginia Military Institute and his first graduate degree from Henley-Putnam University in Strategic Security and Protection Management in 2014. Additionally, Mr. Wells has published 11 editorial articles in print media on improving safety and security methodologies in schools and businesses. Currently, he is an SFS scholarship graduate student at UMBC with plans to complete his degree in spring 2020. He and his wife, Blythe, have two children and have lived in Baltimore County since 2008.

Host: Alan T. Sherman, *protected email* Support for this event was provided in part by the National Science Foundation under SFS grant DGE-1753681. The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab meets biweekly Fridays. All meetings are open to the public. Upcoming CDL Meetings: May 22, Spring SFS Meeting at UMBC, 9:30am-2pm, via WebEx.

The post talk: Identifying and Addressing Concerning Behavior in the Digital Age, 12-1 Fri 5/8 appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab presents

Identifying and Addressing Concerning
Behavior in the Digital Age

Jason W. Wells
Graduate Student, Cybersecurity MPS
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

12:00–1pm Friday, 8 May 2020, webex

The United States Secret Service (USSS) is widely known as the premier law enforcement agency that is charged with protecting some of the most important political figures in the world. Some of these protectees include the President of the United States, the Vice-President, the First Family and Second Family, and Heads of State visiting the United States, to name a few. A major part of the protective mission of the USSS is focused around “protective intelligence,” where agents are trained to identify concerning and threatening behavioral indicators in others, and then to address those issues in a proactive and positive manner and ensure that the community is safe from harm. This proactive methodology has been researched and applied for decades and has a very high rate of success. Now, other law enforcement agencies throughout the country have started to apply this training to their agents and officers. Can these methodologies be used and/or modified to recognize threats in cyberspace as well?

Jason Wells is a former special agent with the United States Secret Service, where he served for nine years from 2005 – 2014. During that time, Mr. Wells was extensively trained in identifying and addressing threat-related and concerning behavioral indicators, and how to address those behaviors in a positive and proactive manner. In 2016, Mr. Wells published his first book Our Path to Safety: A U.S. Secret Service Agent’s Guide to Creating Safe Communities (ISBN-13: 978-0-9982488-0-6) on how the community can identify these behavioral conditions in the same way that federal law enforcement does every day. Mr. Wells earned his undergraduate degree from the Virginia Military Institute and his first graduate degree from Henley-Putnam University in Strategic Security and Protection Management in 2014. Additionally, Mr. Wells has published 11 editorial articles in print media on improving safety and security methodologies in schools and businesses. Currently, he is an SFS scholarship graduate student at UMBC with plans to complete his degree in spring 2020. He and his wife, Blythe, have two children and have lived in Baltimore County since 2008.

Host: Alan T. Sherman, *protected email* Support for this event was provided in part by the National Science Foundation under SFS grant DGE-1753681. The UMBC Cyber Defense Lab meets biweekly Fridays. All meetings are open to the public. Upcoming CDL Meetings: May 22, Spring SFS Meeting at UMBC, 9:30am-2pm, via WebEx.

The post talk: Identifying and Addressing Concerning Behavior in the Digital Age, 12-1 Fri 5/8 appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

The Grittys, an award ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County student-athletes, are scheduled for Monday, May 4. Like many other events that were planned before stay at home orders and social distancing advisories, the Grittys will take place exclusively online. 

According to Steve Levy, Associate Director of Athletics, there was a discussion about whether or not to hold the ceremony this year, given the circumstances. 

“There was one early discussion where some expressed that holding the Grittys could be ‘salt in the wound’ to the spring athletes. But once our organizing group met (virtually) and brainstormed some ideas about altering the awards, we quickly pivoted and decided to move forward. Our coaching staff, administration and, most importantly, the student-athletes (by way of their SAAC representatives) bought in, so we forged ahead,” Levy said.

This is not the first time UMBC Athletics must handle broadcasting the Grittys. The department have streamed and recorded the ceremony for the past few years so athletes, parents and staff who could not be at the ceremony could still watch.

Pre-recording the show from home was the biggest concern, but after talks with the manager of UMBC’s New Media Studio, Dustin Roddy, Levy is confident that the show will go well. Levy also explained that the Grittys will have some format changes in terms of the awards.

Instead of Most Valuable and Improved Athletes and Unsung Heroes for each sport, which is traditional and rewards the totality of a sports season, UMBC Athletics will honor those student-athletes in all sports that best characterized the core values of Growth, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork.

Outstanding Athletes and Outstanding Seniors will not be presented because the spring student-athletes did not complete (or for outdoor track and field even start) their seasons. The focus will be on academic awards, since that puts all of the student-athletes on a level playing field. Levy says that the ceremony will be dedicated to the seniors, whose commencement in addition to the Gritty’s has been altered. 

One of those senior players, Tyler Moore, a psychology major of the women’s basketball team, says that she is glad the Grittys are still happening, even with the format and award changes. 

“Holding the Grittys is important to us, as student-athletes, because it gives a chance to recognize the success of athletes in all sports and to strengthen our bond as an athletics community,” Moore said. “For sports like track and swimming, it is difficult to make it to their meets so something as small as receiving an award at the Gritty’s is a huge deal for them and a chance to showcase their success.”

She added that the awards allow acknowledgment for things outside of athletic ability with recognition for scholar athletes and coaches’ awards. 

UMBC Athletics created such awards to acknowledge athletes’ achievements outside of athletics. The department focused this year’s awards on promoting a sense of comradery among UMBC Athletics’ community by acknowledging the spirit of the players and their hard work.

“I can’t really pinpoint one specific favorite memory from past ceremonies, but I do like how they treat us that night specifically,” said Zoe Pekins, a senior media and communications studies major on the women’s lacrosse team. “We go through a lot as student-athletes and during that night we aren’t just treated like that. We get treated like humans.”

Levy, Moore and Pekins all expressed that traditionally, one of the best parts of the evening for them was seeing everyone get dressed up for the event. Though that aspect will not be possible this year, they all also expressed their belief that the Grittys would still be a great and worthwhile event.

There will be bedrooms  available  for summer break or fall semester   student(lease 9 months or longer)

price ：   $420  /month about（depend on room） + utilities (average $50/month/per month)+ wifi $10/per month

Location: Walking distance to UMBC  about 5 minutes.

If interesting, please contact me with your name and your umbc email address；

my e-mail is ；  lidimin@gmail.com (please write "Re room") 

There will be bedrooms  available  for summer break or fall semester   student(lease 9 months or longer)

price ：   $420  /month about（depend on room） + utilities (average $50/month/per month)+ wifi $10/per month

Location: Walking distance to UMBC  about 5 minutes.

If interesting, please contact me with your name and your umbc email address；

my e-mail is ；  lidimin@gmail.com (please write "Re room")