FROM CRAWL TO WALK: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SELF-PACED, HANDS-ON, LABTAINERS-BASED CYBER OFFENSE AND RED TEAMING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Loading...
Authors
Ferreira da Silva, Martins Francisco
Subjects
Crawl to Walk
C2W
cyber education
knowledge
skills
abilities
and tasks
KSATs
Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Framework
DCWF
Labtainers
red teaming
penetration testing
MITRE ATT&CK
cyber offense
cybersecurity
cyber operations
C2W
cyber education
knowledge
skills
abilities
and tasks
KSATs
Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Framework
DCWF
Labtainers
red teaming
penetration testing
MITRE ATT&CK
cyber offense
cybersecurity
cyber operations
Advisors
Irvine, Cynthia E.
Nguyen, Thuy D.
Date of Issue
2025-03
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Military organizations conducting cyber operations often need to train recruits who lack the necessary knowledge to perform their jobs. Traditional training is costly and requires personnel to leave their duties for courses that may not suit the organization’s needs. To address this challenge, we developed Crawl to Walk (C2W), a free, modular, and self-contained cyber educational framework. C2W includes topics derived from 1) relevant knowledge, skills, abilities, and tasks (KSATs) in the Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF), 2) attack methods from the MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base, 3) penetration testing best practices, and 4) Labtainers—an open-source framework that provides cybersecurity exercises. The objective is to educate inexperienced military personnel in foundational cybersecurity concepts using real-world scenarios through a sequence of lessons designed for incremental learning with minimal instructor interaction. We implemented two labs and piloted them in an introductory cybersecurity course with resident and distance-learning students. Instructor and student feedback indicated C2W helped students achieve intended learning outcomes and could enhance staff qualifications without requiring full duty release. To support dissemination and usability, we designed a Web-based distribution system and built a proof-of-concept prototype.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funding
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.