Cysec platform
What is Cysec?
Cysec is an open-source, extensible and flexible web application written in Java.
Its primary purpose is to provide a platform for so-called "coaches". Coaches are interactive pieces of software that collect information and provide expert advice based on this information.
The platform was designed by the University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland for cybersecurity specific advice for SMEs within the EU funded project SMESEC. We discovered that by aplying small changes to the platform it became suitable for all kinds of coaching.
Who are the target groups?
CySeC is neither limited to topics like cybersecurity nor focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The versatile nature of the coaches allows to cover arbitrary topics and is therefore suitable for other parties, such as
- Private persons
- Associations
- Companies
- Governments
- Non government organizations
and it may accommodate any advice given that the respective coach is available.
Data security
CySeC has been created with security in mind. A coach stores its data of individual users or companies within strictly separated data structures. These structures guarantee that no other data is leaked to a user in the unlikely event of an algorithmic problem. Furthermore, all data is kept in human-readable XML files allowing one to see all data collected about a user or entity.
Specific coaching
You can install diverse coaches you want to use. A coach is not a survey tool like others but an intelligent digital assistant. Questions asked may be dynamically built according to information obtained by the coach in any conceivable way.
Coaches react to the users' input in various ways: Based on a user's input, it might include additional questions on the fly to dig deeper into a subject. Coaches are also able to give recommendations on specific questions to guide a user towards best practices.
Gamification is a well-known driver of motivation. CySeC was developed with people specializing in user experience to improve adherence to the coach. A coach may use scores, grades, and achievements as a stimulus to motivate users to keep going. The overall progress for a user is also displayed on the skill board.
Coaches consist of questions (written in XML notation) and logic programmed in Java. If you want, there's nothing that keeps you from developing your coach, e.g., expert advice on how to identify the juiciest fruit at a grocery store. It is fully customizable and easy to use.
Roadmap
We are working hard to add useful features to the CySeC platform, see below for the upcoming milestones.
Simultaneously, a team of experts is working on a comprehensive coach bringing advanced threat protection such as honey pots and online patching to a level so that smaller SMEs may work with them.
IMPORTANT: There is an upcoming, public beta test for a cybersecurity coach for SMEs. We encourage all SMEs to register here in order to get updates on the public beta program.