US Cyber Command-sponsored cyber exercise will focus on critical infrastructure

Hacker event for critical infrastructure cybersecurity training

Starting on November 16, 2020 the Maryland Innovation Institute (MISI) and its DreamPort Program and sponsor U.S. Cyber Command will hold a cyber exercise designed to highlight the importance of control systems' cybersecurity and critical infrastructure cybersecurity. The event, Hack the Building 2020, will have more than 45 offensive and defensive teams from industry, academia, civilian agencies and the Department of Defense participating.

The entire event will take place November 16-19 and stream live on Twitch. The hands-on live security challenge will have teams competing to infiltrate, disrupt or take over a connected smart building.

Hack the Building’s team roster page shows the marquee cybersecurity vendor, university, military and other government organizations with teams in the event, which is organized into two days of offense, followed by a virtual conference and pitch competition and two days of offense vs. defense competition.

The event is a virtual challenge built around a specially-designated, real-world target: A live, fully-equipped 150,000 square-foot “smart” office building near Annapolis, Maryland that teams on-site and remote are challenged to attack through its diverse IT, Internet of Things (IoT), access control, surveillance camera, building automation and other systems.

Hack the Building highlights the importance of critical infrastructure cybersecurity for commercial and government facilities. The event serves as a showcase for offensive and defensive cyber skills centered on critical infrastructure cyber such as building automation systems (BAS), industrial control cyber (ICS), IoT devices used in typical commercial and government office buildings and related information technology (IT) that these systems utilize.

ON DEMAND: Business-impacting events such as severe weather, man-made disasters, and supply chain disruption are increasing in frequency and making impacts around the globe.

In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, organizations face an ever-growing array of disruptive events, security threats and risks. Traditional reactive approaches to security intelligence often leave businesses vulnerable and ill-prepared to anticipate and mitigate emerging threats that could impact the safety of their people, facilities or operations.