Cyber Defense Resource Page

The Northeast Lakeview College Cyber Defense Institute (NLC-CDI) was created in 2020 as a hub for the Information Technology programs at Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) and as a cyber security resource for the tri-county area of Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe counties. The NLC-CDI occupies the top floor of the NLC Career and Technical Education (CATE) building. Our facilities include dedicated and isolated computer labs used for networking and cyber defense “hands-on” projects.

The NSA has recognized San Antonio as a regional hub for cybersecurity activity and hosts the largest cyber workforce outside of Washington, DC. Our mission is to prepare students for the cyber workforce through intensive hands-on experiences and community engagement beyond the classroom. Addressing critical skill gaps in the cyber workforce NLC courses are designed to move beyond the “know about” into the “how to perform” tasks and job role functions.

Program Overviews

Cyber Defense, A.A.S. Offered exclusively by NLC combines general education courses with the core technical courses of the Cyber Defense program. Students learn to install, configure, and use a broad range of cyber defense tools in Linux and Windows environments. Students conduct threat and vulnerability assessments, monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise (IoCs), conduct forensic evaluations of systems. This program prepares students with the technical skills to work as Cyber Analysts or Cyber Incident First responders.

Network Administration Technology, A.A.S.  Prepares students to design, implement and troubleshoot computer networks. Students learn to install and configure operating system software, monitor networks for performance and gather data for system optimization and tuning.  Completion in this program prepares a student for industry certifications such as the CompTIA Network + and the Cisco Certified Network Associates (CCNA).

Cyber Defense, Level I Certificate Consists of the core technical courses from the Cyber Defense degree program. Certificates are designed to complete within 1 year and are perfect for cyber industry workers seeking technical skills to transition to cyber defense, individuals who already hold advanced degrees, or for those who wish to begin working in the field quickly and plan to pursue additional education later.

Microcredentials or Occupational Skill Awards are faster skill-based awards consisting of two or three courses. Fortinet Network Security Expert, CompTIA Network+ Preparation, CompTIA Security+ Preparation, and CompTIA Linux+ Preparation are a few examples.

Community Outreach 

Faculty, Staff, and Students are active in the cyber security community. Volunteering and speaking at the Texas Cyber Summit and B-Sides San Antonio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UsGnZrYNA&t=83s

The NLC Tech Talks speaker series features monthly presentations by industry leaders on a variety of cyber defense topics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzk1EU_JjXA&t=1602s

Student Experiences

Students consistently rate activities beyond the classroom as fundamental to career success. The NightHax student group is open to all IT related majors at NLC. Cyber Defense and NightHax students have created a thriving online community that participates in hacking challenges throughout the year. Challenges like the SANs Holiday Hack Challenge, Space Heroes CTF, and the National Cyber League allow students to test technical skills against competitors from across the U.S.

In Fall 2021, students competed as a team in the National Cyber League ranking #107 out of 3,917 teams from other colleges and universities. The competition tested skills in OSINT, Password Cracking, Forensics, Network Log Analysis, Cryptography, and Application Security.

Awards & Recognition

The NCL Cyber Defense A.A.S. was ranked in the top 20 Cyber Security programs in the U.S. in 2021 & 2022. https://www.bestvalueschools.org/associate-degree-in-cyber-security/

The NLC Cyber Defense program is ranked #25 in the Central Division and #84 nationally in the College Power Rankings. https://cyberskyline.com/data/power-ranking/fall-2021-central

Cyber Security Jobs:

• Cyber Defense Jobs: [est. 1.8 million unfilled positions in the U.S. by 2022] 
  • Cyber Security Job Outlook 
• Indeed.com
• USA Jobs 
• CyberSecJobs.com
• Cybersecurity Career Pathway

Community Outreach:

• Cyber Security San Antonio 
• Texas Cyber Summit 
• B-Sides San Antonio 
• Alamo ISSA 
• DefCon 210 Group 
• DefCon SA – CTF Group 

Cyber Security Resources:

• US Cyber Security Threat Info 
• US Military & Cyber Security 
• Texas Cyber Security Resources 
• The Hacker News 
• Info Security Magazine 
• Cybersecurity Supply/Demand Heat Map