Morgantown, West Virginia — West Virginia University receives a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education through Congressional directed appropriations to launch a cybersecurity field for cutting-edge research to learn more about attacks by fraudsters. Ta.
In recent days, an Iranian-backed hacktivist group gained access to Pennsylvania’s water utilities. Although no damage was reported and water supplies were not disrupted, the attack has raised concerns.
Katerina Goseva-Popstyanova, a professor in the Lane School of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, said the Pennsylvania attack is a real-world example of why this effort is so important.
“This is very important because cyber-attacks occur all the time and are always in the news,” Goseva Popstyanova said. “Attack on critical infrastructure, water supply, power supply, etc.”
The grant will fund the purchase of software and hardware that will be used to create a “sandbox” that students will use to learn techniques to thwart cyberattacks and strategies to control malware and viruses. Offers. The development of a cloud-based cyber range will enhance security labs and network operations centers for industrial control systems.
“The goal is to experiment with the latest types of malware that exist and how to protect against them, how to detect them and how to isolate them within the system,” Goseva-Popstoyanova said.
This investment will provide a wide range of students with the opportunity to gain practical experience dealing with cyber threats, attacks, worms and viruses. This exercise helps students, instructors, and researchers stay familiar with the latest threats in real-world application environments.
“We will be using this for classes to educate graduate students and students, both graduate students and faculty, who are studying with an emphasis on cybersecurity and research,” said Goseva-Popstoyanova. Ta.
“You can safely conduct experiments and teach cybersecurity with malware, viruses, worms, cyber threats, and more.”
The training environment isolates the network that emulates the user’s operating system. You can use an isolated network to run experiments without exposing yourself to security threats, preventing the spread of malicious activity.
“We will continue to develop, teach and conduct research experiments to give our students hands-on experience with the latest, cutting-edge software and hardware,” said Goseva Popstoyanova. .
Earlier this year, Marshall University received a $45 million grant from the state solely for the construction of a new cybersecurity facility. The bill was approved by lawmakers during a special legislative session in August.