Current cybersecurity education falls far short of adequately preparing people who take actions that make the nation's computing infrastructure more or less secure, says Anita D'Amico, director of secure decisions at Applied Vision, a provider of cyber situational awareness products to safeguard IT systems.l awareness products to safeguard IT systems.

In testimony last week to Congress, D'Amico said the source of cybersecurity education must go beyond college computer science courses. "The education and training of security awareness, good practices and cyber ethics should start in our elementary school and extend beyond the academic environment into the training programs offered by professional organizations," said D'Amico, a trained psychologist.. Here are five suggestions D'Amico offered the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Research and Education:

The education and training of security awareness, good practices and cyber ethics should start in our elementary school and extend beyond the academic environment into the training programs offered by professional organizations

1. Schools of law and law enforcement must go beyond instruct cyber law and policy but teach the foundations of the Internet and computer use that underlie the laws and policies.

2. Social science experts in cultural influence should be consulted on how to raise national awareness of cyber risks and change the security practices of the average American.

3. Experts in learning should advice retiring security practitioners on how to effectively monitor new security professionals and expedite the transfer of their knowledge.

4. Computer science curricula must include building security into the entire lifecycle of software development.

5. Increase the number of U.S. citizens who master the math and science needed to advance cybersecurity technologies and who enroll in advanced degrees in information security.

Related coverage of last week's testimony to the subcommittee on cybersecurity research and education:

• Does Military Discriminate Against Cyber Pros?
• Cybersecurity Bottleneck: Few PhDs: Dearth of Teachers Hamper Training
• Tsunami of Insecurity: Safeguarding Mobile Devices
• Cybersecurity R&D Needs New Approach: Current Mindset Out of Step with Adversaries