Department of Homeland Security sponsoring international cybersecurity workshop at Idaho National Laboratory

Top cybersecurity researchers and infrastructure protection specialists from five countries are in Idaho Falls this week participating in an annual international cybersecurity training workshop. The four-day event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Division and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory http://www.inl.gov .

Approximately 40 researchers from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States are learning about new technologies and methods for enhancing the security of infrastructure network and process control systems. Control systems are the computer-based devices that operate infrastructures such as the electric power grid, oil and gas refineries and telecommunication stations, among others.

This is the second year for the workshop which features several interactive cybersecurity training courses, technology discussions, and a simulated cyberexercise that will test participant’s knowledge and abilities to detect, deter and prevent an intrusion on a utility network. Members of the media will have an opportunity to interview participants and film portions of the exercise on Wednesday, April 9, 2008.

“The international cybersecurity training workshop is an opportunity to share and build upon the current efforts being sponsored by the international community and to accelerate the development and deployment of control systems security practices,” said Sean McGurk, the Director of the DHS National Cyber Security Division Control Systems Security Program.

Several INL cybersecurity and infrastructure protection engineers on contract to the Department of Homeland Security’s Control System Security Program will lead the training, moderate discussions, and oversee the exercise.

Since 2004, INL and other national laboratories have supported the DHS and DOE to coordinate cybersecurity risk reduction efforts, perform vulnerability assessments, develop protection technologies, and conduct training exercises for federal, state, local and tribal governments, and control systems owners, operators and equipment manufacturers.