Cybersecurity Club Event Prepares People for Active Shooter Situation Response
In celebration of October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the UA Little Rock Cybersecurity Club held a special meeting where members of the campus community learned more about how to keep themselves and others safe during an active shooter situation.
“This presentation has been very informative,” said Ryan Ebsen, secretary of the Cybersecurity Club and a computer science major at UA Little Rock. “I have a lot of anxiety, so I was hoping to learn how to control anxiety in very stressful situations. It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and physical security is closely tied to cybersecurity. We thought this event would be a good way to promote the Cybersecurity Club and cybersecurity awareness in general.”
A crowd of about 50 people gathered to hear a presentation from a special agent from the FBI’s Little Rock office entitled, “Civil Response to Active Shooter Events.” The training demonstrates the three tactics citizens can use to keep themselves and others safe during an active shooter attack—run, hide, and fight.
“Learning these principles now will prepare and empower civilians to put them into practice—and survive—should the unthinkable occur,” said Jessica Franklin of the FBI. “The purpose of this training is to protect schools, workplaces, houses of worship, transportation centers, other public gathering sites, and communities by educating and preparing the public for crisis incidents.”
As the presentation delved into the realms of cybersecurity and physical security, Rebecca Passmore, assistant professor of cybersecurity at UA Little Rock and cyber investigator with Kroll, Inc., highlighted collaboration with federal partners as a vital strategy to bolster readiness in the face of evolving threats like active shooter situations.
“Cybersecurity and physical security play a pivotal role in our society in how we approach and defend against the threats,” Passmore said. “Through the collaboration with our federal partners, we can better be prepared for those threats.”
