On November 9, 2012 Governor Snyder cut the ribbon on a new training facility called the Michigan Cyber Range which according to their press release is designed to train cyber security professionals for the detection and prevention of cyber attacks in a real-world setting. Set up by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a national defense test bed for critical security research and run by Merit Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan’s version of the 1983 movie “War Games” is alive and well - but without the outcome of the world hanging in the balance!
Michigan’s Cyber Range is designed to test a professional’s or student’s skill in detecting and reacting to a simulated Cyber attack and then evaluate them as they execute the proper prevention tactics to counter the cyber attack. Obviously, this is exactly the training and certification that would be necessary to thwart a cyber attack should one be waged against a Michigan Corporation, government or educational facility. As the number of cyber attacks keep escalating geometrically each year, I suspect that cyber security professionals will be in heavy demand for the foreseeable future.
The curriculum and training will be in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) and conducted initially at Eastern Michigan University and Kellogg Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek and is expected to be operational by January 2013. Additional funding could expand the number of sites to 10. The Cyber Range is supported by the Michigan Cyber Initiative designed to make Michigan’s businesses and citizens aware of the menacing threat of cyber attacks.
If you are the victim of a cyber attack, and realize it, (Many don’t!) there will be no more excuses for you to claim that “I never thought it could happen to me”. It is happening to company’s like yours everyday. These attacks are no longer just aimed at our biggest businesses. Start today and block off some time to prepare for the day the hackers are knocking on your firewall.
