A window on the world of cyber security has just opened at Wright State University, with a one-of-a-kind website that captures important local, national and global developments on shadowy computer threats, hacker targets, vulnerabilities and defenses.
Created, designed and populated with aggregated content by Wright State’s Institute of Defense Studies and Education and its Center for Professional Education, the website is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for cyber professionals, business executives and anyone interested in cyber security issues.
“We expect people from around the world to come to our site and look at what is happening in the cyber world,” said Vikram Sethi, Ph.D., director of both the institute and the center. “Wright State is in a perfect spot to be a cyber security center.”
The Cyber Briefs website features recent news stories such as “Computer Users Warned Over Virus Pandemic” from The New Zealand Herald; “North Korea Ramps Up Cyber Security” from The Wall Street Journal; and “Hackers Take Aim at Essential Services” from PSNews. About 40 new stories—which are archived and searchable—are posted each day.
The site also includes links to websites, journals, books and blogs, which have intriguing titles such as Dark Reading, Internet Storm Center and Risky Business. In addition, there is a daily Cyber Security Perceived Risk Index and a ticker of cyber security stocks.
Without even being publicized, the site had nearly 600 hits in just a few days. Sethi said the numbers could potentially be enormous, drawing attention and driving traffic to Wright State.
“The immensity of cyber security information on the Internet makes it difficult to find the important information,” said Sethi. “We do that—offering a free, ever-changing snapshot of critical developments in the world of cyber security that people need to know.”
Hacking not only poses a threat to military and governmental units, but it threatens the computer networks of corporations, electric utilities, oil refineries and banks. Also at risk are credit cards, identities and personal information on computers and smartphones.
The institute offers special, state-of-the-art professional training programs designed to defend against cyber attacks and foster the construction of computer systems that thwart electronic break-ins. A sampling of those programs will be made available for free on the website. In addition, cyber security white papers by Wright State researchers and faculty members will be posted.
“It is just incredible how much and how little we know about cyber security and how much of a threat is out there,” Sethi said. “We are still not doing enough in education, in training, in awareness. And we’ve got to drive that awareness down to the younger generation.”
Sethi said despite recent efforts, cyber attacks have not diminished.
“Hackers are becoming smart and aggressive. Although the United States government is taking huge strides in defending us in cyber space, security must be a multi-agency enterprise,” he said. “No one government or agency can possibly manage security by itself. Instead, security must be a joint effort between government and commercial entities.”
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