MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education through congressionally directed spending to launch a cybersecurity range for cutting-edge research into learning more about attacks launched by bad actors.
Within recent days, an Iranian-backed group of hacktivists gained access to a water utility in Pennsylvania. No damage was reported, and the water supply was not compromised, but the attack raises concerns.
Katerina Goseva-Popstojanova, a professor in the Lane Department 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 happen all the time and are always in the news,” Goseva-Popstojanova said. “Attacks on critical infrastructure, water, power supply, and others.”
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 stop cyber attacks and strategies to control malware and viruses. The development of a cloud-based cyber range enhances the industrial control system security lab and network operations center.
“The goal is to experiment with the latest type of malware that exists as well as how to defend against it, detect it, and isolate it in the system,” Goseva-Popstojanova said.
This investment provides an opportunity for a wide range of students to get hands-on experience dealing with cyberthreats, attacks, worms, and viruses. The exercises help students, faculty, and researchers maintain an understanding of the most recent threats in a practical application environment.
“We will use it for classes to educate our graduate students and students studying with an emphasis on cyber security and research for both graduate students and faculty,” Goseva-Popstojanova said.
“We can safely run experiments and teach cybersecurity with malware, viruses, worms, cyber threats, and things like that.”
The training environment isolates the network that emulates an operating system for the user. The isolated network can then be used to run experiments without risk of security threats, preventing malicious activities from spreading.
“We’ll keep developing, teaching, and conducting research experiments to allow students hands-on experience with the most recent cutting-edge software and hardware,” Goseva-Popstojanova said.
Marshall University received a $45 million grant from state earlier this year strictly for the construction of a new cyber security facility. The bill was approved by lawmakers during a special session in August.