SOUTHFIELD — Every day brings new revelations of hacking, identity theft and public document dumps of sensitive information. How do you keep your data safe? In Michigan, the place to turn for cybersecurity is the Michigan Cyber Range — when it comes to the Wild West that the World Wide Web can sometimes be, they’re the folks in the white hats.
And on March 26, The Engineering Society of Detroit is offering an exclusive members-only tour and demonstration of the Michigan Cyber Range’s capabilities.
The Cyber Range is a joint effort of Merit Network Inc. — Michigan’s original internet service provider — and Michigan state government. Located in Ann Arbor, the Cyber Range offers training in the latest techniques in cybersecurity.
On the tour, ESD members will get a chance to tour the facilities, hear real-life stories of battles with hackers, and observe an exercise in the Cyber Range’s virtual community, Alphaville.
Poor Alphaville. Its infrastructure is always under attack, from its power grid to its water system — even the library. Good thing Alphaville exists only in the memory banks of the Cyber Range. It’s where Cyber Range students hone their skills at defending against cyberattacks from the bad guys.
The ESD tour will begin with registration and networking at 2 p.m., with the program and tour running from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
The tour is $25 and you must be an ESD member to attend. If you’re not currently an ESD member, you can join ESD for $60 (a 40 percent discount) and take the tour for free. (This offer is good for new, first-time members only.)
To sign up for the tour, call (248) 353-0735, ext. 222.
Merit Network established the Cyber Range based on Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2011 Michigan Cyber Initiative. It’s led by Dr. Joe Adams, a veteran of 26 years in the United States Army, where he served as CIO of the National Defense University, a professor and research scientist at West Point, and network engineer for Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe.
The Cyber Range offers accredited courses leading to the security designations Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO) and Certified Digital Forensics Engineer (CDFE). Courses include penetration testing, disaster recovery, incident handling, secure web application design, security leadership and more.
More about the Cyber Range at www.merit.edu/cyberrange.