Technical Dimensions of Cybersecurity for Lawyers and Policymakers

• Semester: Fall 2025
• Course ID: 390T
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 30694

Description

Same as LAW 396V, Technology of Cybersecurity: An Introduction for Law and Policy Students.

From data protection and regulatory compliance to high-stakes incident-response scenarios, cybersecurity has become a major field of legal practice over the past decade.  At the same time, policymakers find themselves constantly struggling to encourage better cybersecurity across society and respond to hostile cyberactivity from foreign powers.  Unfortunately, both lawyers and policymakers are often lost at sea when it comes to the technical aspects of such problems.  This makes it much harder to counsel, plan, and respond, not to mention the challenge of simply understanding what the CISO means when a major incident begins to unfold.  For this reason, the Strauss Center’s integrated approach to cybersecurity training for law and policy students emphasizes foundational understanding of the key terms, concepts, and actions associated with offensive and defensive cybersecurity.  One does not need to learn to code, but one does need to understand and communicate effectively across the technical divide.   

This course is designed from the ground up to close that gap for non-technical students.  Lectures, simulations, and other course materials will expose students to real-world and academic cybersecurity technical fundamentals, leaving them with a complete conceptual model of basic cybersecurity technologies.  The course will also consider how these concepts apply in the context of major statutory and regulatory regimes, such as HIPAA.  Students who complete the course will be in a far better position to perform the role of lawyer or policymaker in connection with this increasingly important and ubiquitous set of challenges.  

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly shifting the cybersecurity landscape. The course will discuss and have hands-on live demonstrations of AI use by good actors and bad actors. New cybersecurity vulnerabilities incurred due to AI are also covered.