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Developing a Cybersecurity Profile

This training will introduce you to the Cybersecurity Framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and prepare you to create a Profile for your election department. A Profile can help you ensure your organization’s cybersecurity activities align with your needs.

  • Course Number

    CS401
  • Self-Paced

About This Course

In a landscape full of cybersecurity guidance, a Profile is distinctive. It’s a customized set of cybersecurity requirements to allow an organization to fulfill its mission while mitigating threats and vulnerabilities. In this training you will:

  • Get more familiar with NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework
  • Practice three basic steps for developing a Profile for your organization
  • Form a basis for developing a full Profile following the training

Course Staff

Kurt Sampsel

Kurt Sampsel

Kurt Sampsel is Senior Program Manager for Disinformation and Community Engagement at PEN America. In this role, he supports community efforts to source and share information that’s trustworthy, nonpartisan, and actionable.

Before joining PEN, he was a senior program manager at Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), where he led work to affirm and recognize outstanding public service by local election officials across the country. In his eight years with CTCL, he also managed projects related to election websites, cybersecurity training (including this course), and helping election departments effectively inform voters and defend against disinformation. Kurt holds a Ph.D. in the field of Literary and Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I complete the course?

There are a few steps to complete a course. After you complete the content, the course will prompt you to:

  1. Complete a post-course survey
  2. Confirm that you have reviewed all course materials
  3. Request your course certificate

Please complete all of these steps, so that we can count your progress! We will describe each step in detail at the end of the course.

Do I receive a certificate for this course?

Yes! At the end of each course, there are instructions for completing the course and generating a certificate of completion.

What web browser should I use?

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