Preparing for the cyber battlefield: TMU master’s students tackle realistic cyberattacks
TMU Master of Cybersecurity (MC) students had a unique opportunity to apply their skills to real-world scenarios through two intensive workshops offered in partnership with the university’s centre for training, innovation and collaboration, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst (external link) , and their Catalyst Cyber Range (external link) experience.
As part of the Operational Risk Management topic in the Cybersecurity Risk Management course taught by Dr. Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan, MC students participated in an immersive, hands-on Cyber Range Information Security Risk Simulation Exercise in the Catalyst Cyber Range. MC students learned how effective risk management improves the speed, quality and confidence of decisions made during active cyber incidents. In this exercise, student groups played the role of enterprise cybersecurity professionals tasked with detecting, containing and reporting on an escalating security breach of an enterprise.
This special opportunity, integrated within the course, created a unique learning environment featuring a cybersecurity tabletop exercise combined with a cyber-range simulation. Under the pressure of a ticking clock, they had to not only manage the technical aspects of a simulated cyberattack, but also communicate effectively to executives and the board of directors, played by Dr. Mashatan and Lester Chng, senior trainer and practice lead, cybersecurity, at the Catalyst.
“By the end of the session, the students gained a meaningful appreciation for how cybersecurity professionals operate during high-pressure incidents and how a risk-management mindset guides decision making,” said Dr. Mashatan.
“These experiences helped to supplement the theoretical knowledge I gained through my coursework, as well as reinforce my learning in a new, fun and challenging environment.”
An interactive ransomware workshop with the Catalyst also connected theory and practice for MC students as they explored the entire process, from deployment to detection and prevention. Playing the role of hackers, MC students exploited vulnerabilities in a WordPress server to deploy ransomware. Then as defenders, they acted as security operations centre (SOC) analysts, using data platforms like Splunk and firewall logs to detect suspicious activity and investigate.
“The workshop complemented my coursework really well because it connected theoretical concepts like network security, incident response and risk management to real scenarios,” said MC student Vaishnavi Ahluwalia. “Concepts like logs, intrusion detection and vulnerabilities made much more sense once I actually applied them in a simulated SOC environment.”
“This workshop offered MC students a rare opportunity to engage in a high-fidelity, hands-on simulation of a real-world ransomware incident,” said Graduate Program Director Dr. Ali Miri. “By combining technical investigation using enterprise tools like Splunk with strategic response actions in a simulated SOC environment, the session reinforced both the technical and business-critical aspects of cybersecurity.”
Like Ahluwalia, fellow MC student Jugadbeer Sangha said he appreciated the hands-on problem-solving approach provided by the simulations, which employed various industry-standard cybersecurity tools.
“These experiences helped to supplement the theoretical knowledge I gained through my coursework, as well as reinforce my learning in a new, fun and challenging environment,” said Sangha.
Reflecting on the experience, Chng said, “I was genuinely impressed by the students’ level of engagement and skill during the workshop and how closely their performance aligned with what is required in the real world.”
From classroom to cyber range: Master of Cybersecurity students sharpen their cyberattack detection and response skills via real-world IT disaster scenarios.