Internet Security Researchers At Iowa State University Combat Cyber-attacks

The surge in cyber-attacks over the last year

, use of cyber weapon such as Stuxnet on industrial installations and leakage of classified documents by WikiLeaks has made it inevitable for Internet security researchers to find new ways to deal with the challenges in the cyberspace. With the emergence of alleged state-sponsored cyber-attacks on rival countries has brought information warfare to the center stage. Information security has become a challenge for Governments worldwide. Countries have started revamping their IT security infrastructure to deal with threats of cybercrime, cyber espionage and cyber-attacks. Security researchers at Iowa State University are developing cyber-attacks to devise resistance and counter-offensive mechanisms. The research is being conducted by a group of electrical and computer engineering students of the University.

The researchers have created a test bed for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, which are used to monitor and control industrial installations. Through the test researchers endeavor to simulate a real-time cyber-attack scenario. The test may help the researchers in assessing and analyzing the risks involved and devising protection mechanisms to safeguard critical national installations. The research has been partly sponsored by National Science foundation.

Information security professionals have been alerting the governments on the likely implication of a cyber-attack on crucial government, utility and military installations. Attackers may not only intrude into networks and gain access to privileged information but may also cause of denial-of-service attacks to disrupt operations. Advancements in technology have facilitated automation of operations at crucial installations such as power stations. However, automation has also made them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. A cyber-attack on a power grid may completely disrupt power supply creating chaos among people. An attack on telecommunications infrastructure may lead to complete breakdown of communications and severely impact business operations. Realizing the dangers of cyber warfare, many countries are establishing cyber commands to safeguard crucial industrial and infrastructural facilities.

The researchers are studying the implications of distributed denial-of-service attacks and intrusion attempts by hackers to corrupt or delete data. Little has been done to protect critical installations of private business organizations. Business organizations must regularly assess the threats by conducting security audits, ethical hacking and devise mechanisms to protect their systems and networks against all forms of cyber-attacks.

by: Peter M

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