MEDIA ADVISORYExpert available to discuss need to ramp up cyber security research, education
ROLLA, Mo. – As the head of U.S. Cyber Command told Congress on Thursday (March 19), the federal government’s efforts to deter computer attacks are not working and the U.S. needs to “increase our capacity” to strengthen cyber security. At Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), researchers are working to improve cyber security with an emphasis on safeguarding the nation’s infrastructure while educating students in this field through its National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
“Most of our cyber defenses are modeled after medieval perimeter security – a firewall is much like a castle moat – and the idea of ‘keeping the bad guys out’,” says Dr. Bruce M. McMillin, professor of computer science and associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computing at Missouri S&T. “We live inside modern systems that are both physical and computational, and, in such a smart living environment, attacks can come from multiple different sources, some even inside what we consider protected.
McMillin is available to talk to journalists about the importance of training today’s college students in the field of cyber security. “We must focus on the information that both flows into and out of every portion of our smart living environment,” he says, “both hiding what we consider security and private, and disrupting the ability of our adversaries to launch information attacks.”
McMillin adds that Missouri S&T provides “a unique contribution to the information assurance field with our focus on developing ways to protect the nation’s electric power grid, oil, gas and water distribution systems; and transportation systems from terrorist attacks.” Much of that research occurs through Missouri S&T’s Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection.
McMillin also co-leads Missouri S&T’s Smart Living signature area. Smart Living focuses on developing processes and technology to turn home, workplace, transportation and energy systems into “smart” environments.
On Thursday, March 19, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the head of the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the command’s efforts are not working. He pointed out that attackers to U.S. cyber infrastructure want to move beyond disrupting those networks to establish “a persistent presence” on them.
To arrange an interview with McMillin, contact Andrew Careaga, Missouri S&T marketing and communications, at 573-341-4183 or [email protected].
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