Three of Oregon’s largest research universities have teamed up to create the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, an effort to improve the state’s resilience to cyber threats.
The new center is state bill Last year, we established a Cybersecurity Grant Program Fund and Advisory Board. The jointly operated facility will be located at Portland State University and will involve experts from Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. Events at the center are scheduled to start this month. According to a press release on Monday.
“Cyberattacks strike public agencies, private businesses, and individuals every day,” Oregon Representative Nancy Nathanson, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a release. “Malicious attackers are demanding ransom payments in exchange for access to stolen data. Oregon school districts, cities, and businesses are not only vulnerable, they are being attacked.”
According to the bill, the center would help coordinate, fund and deliver cybersecurity awareness, research and workforce development programs at public universities and community colleges.
“The University will establish or expand relationships with a variety of stakeholders and provide the expertise and experience necessary to support, coordinate, and execute a wide range of activities envisioned to address cybersecurity challenges across the state. We are in a unique position to jointly deliver this,” said Reza Rejej, a professor at the university. said the center’s deputy director in Oregon in a release.
Local governments, school districts, libraries and others will receive priority cybersecurity services from the center. The center will also provide private and nonprofit organizations in the state with best practices for protecting and recovering from cyberattacks.
In addition, the Center will serve as a statewide advisory committee to the Legislature, the Governor, and the State Office of the Chief Information Officer on cybersecurity issues for the Oregon State Government.
Birol Yesilada, the center’s founding director and professor of cybersecurity at Portland State University, said, “The opportunity to have such a profound impact on society and collaborate with all stakeholders makes my involvement with the center particularly exciting.” “I’m making it a reality.”