Practical Approaches for Securing Critical Infrastructure – Roundtable Discussion

Members of the CyberSEA Research Lab host a roundtable discussion as part of SECREV 2021 (The Cybersecurity Revolution) which is an international digital event.

Panelists: James Baak, Bohdana Sereda, Luke Newton, Alvi Jawad, Joe Samuel, Gieorgi Zakurdaev

Moderator: Jason Jaskolka

Discussion Abstract

Securing critical infrastructure remains among the top priorities for the federal, state, and local governments, and commercial providers of communications, financial, electric, and other services. Practical approaches for securing the increasingly distributed, complex, and richly connected critical infrastructure have been sought after by many cybersecurity R&D programs, specifically those aiming to promote the robust, effective design and construction of cyber-physical systems and infrastructure. As critical infrastructure is built and refreshed, those involved in making design decisions face challenges regarding ways to identify, analyze, and prepare for threats and hazards, mitigate vulnerabilities, and minimize potential impacts and consequences. This presents a wide range of complex challenges. The larger and more complex our systems and networks become, the more potentially vulnerable they become, which inevitably leaves them susceptible to cybersecurity exposures. There is an increasingly important need, particularly in light of the growth in complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure sectors, for the development of rigorous and practical methods and tools for determining whether such systems are sufficiently protected from cyber-threats.