Ethical Hacking News
DEF CON's Cybersecurity Crusade: In a bold move, DEF CON hackers are teaming up with US water companies to tackle the growing threat of cybersecurity breaches in America's drinking water systems. With over 91 percent of community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people, this initiative is a crucial step towards securing critical infrastructure.
The DEF CON hackers and security experts are teaming up with six US water companies to tackle the cybersecurity challenge of securing America's drinking water systems. The project, dubbed "Franklin," aims to provide expert security assessments, vulnerability remediation, and awareness-building activities to bolster the cybersecurity resilience of these water companies. The water sector is underserved when it comes to cybersecurity resources and expertise, with over 91% of community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people lacking adequate support. Top coders from DEF CON will be deployed to investigate the security of these six water companies, fix identified vulnerabilities, and share their findings with the participating organizations. The initiative aims to educate stakeholders about the importance of cybersecurity in critical infrastructure and raise public awareness around this issue.
In a groundbreaking initiative, the DEF CON hackers and security experts are teaming up with six US water companies in Utah, Vermont, Indiana, and Oregon to tackle one of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges facing America's critical infrastructure: securing its drinking water systems. This bold move marks a significant shift towards public-private partnerships, leveraging the unique skills of top-notch hackers to fortify the nation's water supply against cyber threats.
The project, dubbed "Franklin," has been launched in collaboration with the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy's Cyber Policy Initiative (CPI) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA). The partnership aims to provide expert security assessments, vulnerability remediation, and awareness-building activities to bolster the cybersecurity resilience of these water companies.
The sheer scale of this undertaking is staggering. With over 91 percent of the approximately 50,000 community water systems in the United States serving fewer than 10,000 people, the water sector is woefully underserved when it comes to cybersecurity resources and expertise. As NRWA CEO Matt Holmes aptly put it, "The water sector faces increasing cybersecurity-related risk." The Franklin project seeks to address this pressing concern head-on.
"We're hopeful that we'll have raised enough public perception around this and awareness of the issue, and most importantly, have the policymakers – at least some of them – on our side," said Paul Chang, program director for the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy's CPI. Chang emphasized that the initiative is not only a response to growing cyber threats but also an opportunity to educate stakeholders about the importance of cybersecurity in critical infrastructure.
The selection process for participating water companies was rigorous, with each organization undergoing a thorough evaluation of their IT systems and security posture. The chosen sites were deemed high-risk due to factors such as their reliance on outdated software, inadequate network segmentation, or insufficient employee training.
To facilitate the project, top coders will be deployed to investigate the security of these six water companies, fix any identified vulnerabilities, and share their findings with the participating organizations. Volunteers from DEF CON, a renowned cybersecurity conference, have been carefully matched with experts in each area to ensure that the most suitable team members are assigned to each site.
"The volunteers have a broad range of skills," Chang noted, "ranging from students to experienced veterans with 30-plus years of experience. The one thing they share is enthusiasm." However, he also acknowledged that there is much work ahead for this ambitious initiative.
"Defcon's superpower is that we're a bunch of hackers that want to help, figure out how things work, or love pointing out how things are broken and might be fixed," said DEF CON founder Jeff Moss. "It turns out there are a lot of groups that want to hear that perspective, and would like advice and help." This collaborative spirit will undoubtedly prove essential in overcoming the significant technical challenges posed by this critical infrastructure.
In an era where cyber threats from nation-state actors, such as China, Russia, and Iran, have become increasingly sophisticated, the stakes for securing America's drinking water systems could not be higher. As Chang so aptly put it, "As much as many things are now completely disagreeable for both parties, I think one thing we might be able to get on the same page on is I would love for my drinking water to not be poisoned." By joining forces with hackers and security experts, these participating water companies aim to ensure that their systems remain resilient against cyber threats.
Related Information:
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/11/24/water_defcon_hacker/
Published: Sun Nov 24 10:40:00 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
