A CyberCIEGE scenario illustrating secrecy issues in an Internal Corporate Network connected to the internet

Abstract

The CyberCIEGE project seeks to create an alternative to traditional Information Assurance (IA) training and education approaches by developing an interactive, entertaining commercial-grade PC-based computer game that teaches IA concepts while simultaneously entertaining the player. The game provides a robust, flexible and extensible gaming environment where each game instance is based on a fully customizable scenario. These customized scenarios produce game simulations that are tailored to meet a player's specific IA training needs, thus providing personalized, focused IA training at a minimum cost in both dollars and time. Additionally, the interactive game simulations, provided by the CyberCIEGE game, create an entertaining and realistic training environment for the player. Finally, the ability to load the game onto, and execute it from a PC allows IA training to be conducted practically anywhere, i.e. at home, or while traveling. To demonstrate this capability, this thesis developed a customized scenario designed to educate players in secrecy issues concerning the connection of an internal corporate network with the Internet. Additionally, this thesis produced Scenario Definition Files (SDFs) designed to test the game engine to determine if it would produce results that met the SDF developer's expectations and that the simulated game environment was realistic.