Under the leadership of academician Fang Binxing, Harbin Institute of Technology(HIT) established the research direction of network and information security in 1999, established the undergraduate major of information security in 2002, established the doctoral program of information security independently in 2005, established the first batch of national doctoral programs of Cyber Science and Technology（CyST） in 2016, and was selected as the key construction direction of the "double first-class" subject groups.  In June, 2019, the School of Cyber Science and Technology was established.

The school concentrates superior teachers from disciplines of computer, communication, electronics, electrical, management, law and other disciplines in three districts of HIT, and builds a network security talent training and scientific research base, focusing on training high-level professionals in information content security, network infrastructure security, integrated security in space, air and earth, and international governance of cyberspace.

At present, the school has 68 full-time and part-time teachers, including 24 professors and 15 associate professors. There is 1 shared academician of the Engineering Academy, 1 national military 863 expert, 2 new century talents, and 1 national defense technology innovation team.  The school undertakes more than 100 national major engineering and scientific research projects, with scientific research funding exceeding 100 million RMB, cumulatively won 5 first- and second-class national scientific and technological progress awards, more than 20 provincial and ministerial-level scientific and technological awards, and has obtained a batch of original scientific research results. It has established scientific research bases such as the National Key Laboratory of Computer Information Content Security, the National Engineering Laboratory for Information Content Security Technology, the International  Governance Research Base for Cyberspace, and the Key Laboratory of Cybersecurity Big Data Analysis of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Since 1999, the school has cultivated 1,353 undergraduates in CyST, 486 masters in network security, and 154 doctors with a number of outstanding graduate representatives emerged: Meng Dan, director of the Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jing Xiaojun, president of Shenzhen Renzi Bank, Yun Xiaochun, deputy director of the National Computer Network Emergency Response Coordination Center, Du Yuejin, vice president of 360 security,  Qianxin Vice Presidents Liu Yong and Liu Hao, etc.

After 20 years of development, Harbin Institute of Technology has possessed one of the top domestic CyST disciplines.