Auburn University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security

11/05/2020

McCrary Institute, CISA, and NEMA publish paper on cybersecurity guiding principles for emergency management

Auburn University's McCrary Institute in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Emergency Management Association published guiding principals for emergency management on cybersecurity.

Read the paper below ⬇️
http://eng.auburn.edu/news/2020/11/mccrary-institute-publishes-paper-on-cybersecurity-guiding-principles-for-emergency-management.html

McCrary Institute, CISA, and NEMA publish paper on cybersecurity guiding principles for emergency management

10/01/2020

09/28/2020

New FBI Cyber Strategy

The FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation will unveil its new cyber strategy on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT during a virtual event hosted by Auburn University's McCrary Institute.

FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Matt Gorham will offer opening remarks on the new strategy followed by an in-depth panel conversation moderated by McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo and an audience question-and-answer session.

The panel will consist of Gorham; Tonya Ugoretz, FBI deputy assistant director; and Clyde Wallace, FBI deputy assistant director.

As malicious cyber activity threatens the public’s safety and national and economic security, the FBI’s goal is to change the behavior of criminals and nation-states who believe they can compromise U.S. networks, steal financial and intellectual property, and put critical infrastructure at risk without facing risk themselves.

http://mccrary.auburn.edu/events/new-fbi-cyber-strategy.html

Join us for a virtual event with the FBI's top cyber executives to discuss the Bureau's new cyber strategy.

09/22/2020

Auburn University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security

We are live now! Tune in below.

With Election Day just weeks away, many are concerned about the security of the process relating to cyber threats, voter registration databases and COVID-19.

We will host a virtual event to address those concerns Tuesday, Sept. 22, with special guest Matt Masterson, senior advisor for election security for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The event, which will be livestreamed here, will begin at 9 a.m. with remarks from Masterson on federal plans to strengthen election security.

Those remarks will be followed by a moderated discussion with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo, then a panel discussion and close with an audience question-and-answer session.

The panel will be moderated by Chris Cummiskey, CEO of Cummiskey Strategic Solutions and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute, and it will feature panelists Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Emily Frye, director for cyber integration for MITRE Corp. and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute; Kathleen Hale, Auburn University professor, director of graduate programs in election administration and faculty fellow of the McCrary Institute; and David Stafford, supervisor of elections for Escambia County, Florida.

Masterson and the panel will discuss topics ranging from cybersecurity tools and efforts to better prepare state and local governments for the upcoming November election; strategies for increased protection of voter registration databases; collaborations to recruit more election poll workers and approaches for ensuring voter safety amid COVID-19.

09/22/2020

Election Security Amid COVID-19

With Election Day just weeks away, many are concerned about the security of the process relating to cyber threats, voter registration databases and COVID-19.

We will host a virtual event to address those concerns Tuesday, Sept. 22, with special guest Matt Masterson, senior advisor for election security for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The event, which will be livestreamed here, will begin at 9 a.m. with remarks from Masterson on federal plans to strengthen election security.

Those remarks will be followed by a moderated discussion with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo, then a panel discussion and close with an audience question-and-answer session.

The panel will be moderated by Chris Cummiskey, CEO of Cummiskey Strategic Solutions and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute, and it will feature panelists Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Emily Frye, director for cyber integration for MITRE Corp. and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute; Kathleen Hale, Auburn University professor, director of graduate programs in election administration and faculty fellow of the McCrary Institute; and David Stafford, supervisor of elections for Escambia County, Florida.

Masterson and the panel will discuss topics ranging from cybersecurity tools and efforts to better prepare state and local governments for the upcoming November election; strategies for increased protection of voter registration databases; collaborations to recruit more election poll workers and approaches for ensuring voter safety amid COVID-19.

09/22/2020

Election Security Amid COVID-19

Watch our event live in one hour at 10am ET / 9 am CT on election security amid covid-19 with a special welcome from Governor Kay Ivey. https://youtu.be/6uiEv--mQd0

09/21/2020

Auburn University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security

With Election Day just weeks away, many are concerned about the security of the process relating to cyber threats, voter registration databases and COVID-19.

We will host a virtual event to address those concerns Tuesday, Sept. 22, with special guest Matt Masterson, senior advisor for election security for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The event, which will be livestreamed here, will begin at 9 a.m. with remarks from Masterson on federal plans to strengthen election security.

Those remarks will be followed by a moderated discussion with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo, then a panel discussion and close with an audience question-and-answer session.

The panel will be moderated by Chris Cummiskey, CEO of Cummiskey Strategic Solutions and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute, and it will feature panelists Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Emily Frye, director for cyber integration for MITRE Corp. and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute; Kathleen Hale, Auburn University professor, director of graduate programs in election administration and faculty fellow of the McCrary Institute; and David Stafford, supervisor of elections for Escambia County, Florida.

Masterson and the panel will discuss topics ranging from cybersecurity tools and efforts to better prepare state and local governments for the upcoming November election; strategies for increased protection of voter registration databases; collaborations to recruit more election poll workers and approaches for ensuring voter safety amid COVID-19.

With Election Day just weeks away, many are concerned about the security of the process relating to cyber threats, voter registration databases and COVID-19.

We will host a virtual event to address those concerns Tuesday, Sept. 22, with special guest Matt Masterson, senior advisor for election security for the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The event, which will be livestreamed here, will begin at 9 a.m. with remarks from Masterson on federal plans to strengthen election security.

Those remarks will be followed by a moderated discussion with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo, then a panel discussion and close with an audience question-and-answer session.

The panel will be moderated by Chris Cummiskey, CEO of Cummiskey Strategic Solutions and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute, and it will feature panelists Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Emily Frye, director for cyber integration for MITRE Corp. and senior fellow of the McCrary Institute; Kathleen Hale, Auburn University professor, director of graduate programs in election administration and faculty fellow of the McCrary Institute; and David Stafford, supervisor of elections for Escambia County, Florida.

Masterson and the panel will discuss topics ranging from cybersecurity tools and efforts to better prepare state and local governments for the upcoming November election; strategies for increased protection of voter registration databases; collaborations to recruit more election poll workers and approaches for ensuring voter safety amid COVID-19.

09/01/2020

Claire the Coder: The Rosie the Riveter for the cyber age

America needs more women in the cyber workforce, especially during times of heightened national security challenges. Read more in the latest article by Auburn University's Frank Cilluffo and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's Tatyana Bolton. Leveraging women’s perspectives and bringing balance to the cybersecurity workforce is not only the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/opinion/2020/09/01/claire-the-coder-the-rosie-the-riveter-for-the-cyber-age/

The current dearth of cyber talent at a time when the number of cyberattacks continues to increase on a day-to-day basis should encourage the government to embark on an ambitious agenda of enticing women into the cybersecurity workforce.

09/01/2020

Bad Cyber Actors Don’t Fear the Law. We Can Change That.

Auburn University's Frank Cilluffo and FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation's Val Cofield published an article in Defense One on the critical role played by law enforcement in executing an effective layered #cyber #deterrence strategy. Read below. https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/08/bad-cyber-actors-dont-fear-law-we-can-change/168117/

Better coordination among law enforcement agencies at home and abroad are key to the layered deterrence strategy we need.

07/30/2020

Tauritz tapped as interim director of Auburn Cyber Research Center

We would like to congratulate associate professor Daniel Tauritz on been named interim director of the Auburn Cyber Research Center.

“Daniel was already playing a key role in the Auburn Cyber Research Center, so he was an excellent choice to lead the center during this interim period,” Dean of Engineering Christopher Roberts said. “He has an impressive record of applying AI approaches to solving national security problems in cyber, critical infrastructure and other areas. I am confident in his ability to elevate the center’s impressive body of work through this new role.”

Read more about his appointment below.
http://eng.auburn.edu/news/2020/07/tauritz-interim-director-cyber-research-center.html

Associate professor Daniel Tauritz will lead more than a dozen faculty and staff affiliated with the center, which integrates cutting-edge engineering technology with research to develop innovative methods of protecting our nation's cybersecurity. His appointment began June 1.

07/28/2020

McCrary Institute Director Testifies Before House Armed Services Subcommittee

Auburn University’s Frank Cilluffo will once again testify in front of Congress on Thursday to address recommendations made by the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission in March.

Cilluffo, who serves as the director of Auburn’s McCrary Institute and is a commissioner on the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, will testify in front of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Cilluffo will be joined by commission Chairman and U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine; commission Chairman and U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.; and Commissioner Patrick Murphy, who serves as the Distinguished Chair of Innovation at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The hearing will take place at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT, and will be livestreamed below.

Frank Cilluffo will testify on the recommendations offered in the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission report.

07/17/2020

Disinformation landscape could have made Twitter hack much worse

Director Frank Cilluffo responds to the recent Twitter hack – "the larger and more strategic consequence of these incidents is their ability to erode trust and undermine confidence in the system."

The risks of a hacker being able to tweet from a prominent account vary along a spectrum, Ciluffo explained. On the low end, the harm could be a mere embarrassment, he said. On the high end, the risk could include "the spread of disinformation that could affect national critical functions or pose a threat to public safety or security."

https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/disinformation-landscape-could-have-made-twitter-hack-much-worse

Twitter confirmed that it suffered a "coordinated social engineering attack" that allowed hackers to temporarily take control of some of the most influential voices on the social media platform. "Tough day for us at Twitter," the company's CEO Jack Dorsey wrote Wednesday night. According to security...

07/14/2020

Securing Our Infrastructure | The Auburn Engineer

Gina Haspel, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and David Bowdich, deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, all have one thing in common. Well, maybe more than one thing.

In addition to being among the highest administrative leadership on the forefront of national security for the American people, these three leaders have developed a close relationship with Auburn University and its McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. These leaders have all visited and spoken on campus, either in person or virtually, within the past year as the university positions itself as a national leader on the forefront of cyber and critical infrastructure security, policy and defense. These relationships are vital and critical, especially in a time where the nation is constantly fending off attacks and threats from hostile nations, organizations and individuals.

Read our feature story below.
http://ecm.eng.auburn.edu/wp/emag/?p=7231

Gina Haspel, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and David Bowdich, deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, all have one thing in common. Well, maybe more than one thing.

07/13/2020

Auburn’s McCrary Institute, Air University Join Forces in Strategic Partnership

The McCrary Insitute is partnering with Air University to examine challenges related to cyber and critical infrastructure security, for the purpose of advancing U.S. #nationalsecurity. We will combine our extensive expertise on national security issues to spur dialogue and action on pressing problems and practical solutions.

As part of this joint endeavor, today we have published a paper on protecting #criticalinfrastructure during the #coronavirus pandemic. The paper lays out a multilayered action plan for protecting shared airspace, which will simultaneously support both public health and economic reopening across the nation.

Read our publication and more about our partnership below.

Auburn University’s McCrary Institute is partnering with Air University to examine challenges related to cyber and critical infrastructure security, for the purpose of advancing U.S. national security.

06/02/2020

Securing the Grid

Please join us for a live event with the U.S. Department of Energy, discussing their top priorities and challenges regarding grid security.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Sean Plankey from the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) will offer opening remarks on the Department's support of the energy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be followed by a conversation with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo on other key issues including risk reduction and the Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System issued on May 1, 2020.

06/01/2020

The Coronacanes are Coming

Today marks the first day of what will be a complex #hurricane season. To best ensure that emergency managers are prepared, McCrary Institute senior fellow (and former FEMA deputy administrator) Daniel Kaniewski suggests that the HHS take the lead on the pandemic response, so that FEMA can focus on "coronacanes” — hurricanes in the time of coronavirus. Read his op-ed below.
http://mccrary.auburn.edu/work/the-coronacanes-are-coming.html

Daniel Kaniewski suggests that HHS take the lead on the pandemic response, so that FEMA can focus on 'coronacanes' — hurricanes in the time of coronavirus.

05/28/2020

Auburn University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security

Please join us for a live event with the U.S. Department of Energy, discussing their top priorities and challenges regarding grid security.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Sean Plankey from the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) will offer opening remarks on the Department's support of the energy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be followed by a conversation with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo on other key issues including risk reduction and the Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System issued on May 1, 2020.

Please join us for a live event with the U.S. Department of Energy, discussing their top priorities and challenges regarding grid security.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Sean Plankey from the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) will offer opening remarks on the Department's support of the energy sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be followed by a conversation with McCrary Institute Director Frank Cilluffo on other key issues including risk reduction and the Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System issued on May 1, 2020.