The Cybersecurity Operational Methods Education and Training (COMET)

Incumbent Training for those building foundational knowledge.

5-Week, 3-Part Program
Daily Monday through Friday

Part One – Command Line & Linux:
This course provides program participants an introduction to working networks, workstations, operating systems, and servers via lectures and hands-on exercises. Each student is provided access to a workstation and sole access to a Linux server. Topics include workstation operating systems, the Linux OS, network configuration and interaction, and security issues. Considerable time is allocated to the review of Linux and the Linux command line implementation.

Part One begins January 6, 2025, and runs through January 17, 2025. Live instruction courses will take place each day from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Part Two – Introduction to the SIEM:
This course builds on concepts that the participants learn in Part One, providing more detailed networking topics and introducing participants to enterprise level network architectures, network devices, system security information and monitoring tools, and common network attacks.

Part Two begins January 21, 2025, and runs through February 3, 2025. Live instruction courses will take place each day from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Part Three – Cyber Range Simulation:
Building on the knowledge and skills obtain in the preceding training modules, participants are exposed to real-world network attacks. Participants act as network administrators and security personnel monitoring and protecting the network while the instructor attacks and manipulates the system using a library of cyber-attacks. This course consists of eight hours of participants learning to identify attacks, mitigate the attack and in the end remediate the attack returning the network to normal operation.

Part 3 begins February 4, 2025. Five students participate and collaborate in the exercise simultaneously. Each session consists of two live 4-hour sessions, conducted from 9:00am to 1:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm (only one four-hour session per day per group). The last group will conclude their training February 18, 2025.

Program Requirements:

• Must be either a State of Maryland or Maryland Local Government Employee
• Must have at least one year of IT and/or cyber experience
• Must receive manager approval to take training during business hours
• Must be 18 years of age or older

Advanced Incumbent Training for those seeking certification.

5-Week, 3-Part Program
Daily Monday through Friday

This course includes cybersecurity training and preparation for CompTIA Security+ certification. Security+ certification is an industry standard that demonstrates the practitioner has the knowledge and skills required to securely administrate and manage IT/cyber systems. Practitioners receive training in installation, configuration, and system management. Training topics include network devices, security appliances, threat basics, applications, and networks. The training material prepares students for threat analysis activities and outlines many risk mitigation techniques. The course includes a review of many cyber-attacks, including a general description of the attack, implementations, detection techniques and attack mitigation. Each course participant receives a test voucher for CompTIA Security+ testing.

Training will begin January 6, 2025, and run through February 10, 2025. Live instruction courses will take place each day from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

Program Requirements:

• Must be either a State of Maryland or Maryland Local Government Employee
• Must have at least two years of IT and/or cyber experience
• Must receive manager approval to take training during business hours
• Must be 18 years of age or older