Experts are worried about cyber threats to infrastructure. This Pitt program is raising awareness.
September 10, 2024
A small water authority just outside Pittsburgh seemed like an unlikely victim of an international cyberattack.
On Nov. 25, however, a terrorist group successfully targeted the Municipal Authority of Aliquippa, raising concerns about further attacks in the United States and the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The risks associated with these attacks are forcing the worlds of operational technology and information technology to collide, but each field’s methodologies and solutions are vastly different, a disconnect that affects policy decisions and interventions.
Cyber-Informed Engineering in the Context of Prioritizing U.S. Grid Security
April 2024
Cyber-informed engineering (CIE) is a methodology that seeks to mitigate high-consequence outcomes through the systematic analysis of assets and thorough integration of cybersecurity considerations into everyday engineering practices. To determine if CIE is desirable when applied in the context of the power grid, a series of 125 interviews was conducted across industry and academia to drive the validation and invalidation of newly formed hypotheses via hypothesis-driven research. This study finds that although a paradigm shift is imminent and sorely needed within the power-grid industry, the foundation for a wide-scale adoption of CIE is still in its early development and may need additional guidance. The authors therefore propose several justifications and a workshop curriculum for the implementation of CIE in grid infrastructure.
In this program, Pitt students are working to protect the electric power grid.
August 17, 2023
Isabella Hsia, a rising sophomore in bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, wanted to try something new.
Maybe something a little more research heavy, she thought. Definitely something to diversify my skill set. But what about my talents as a future engineer?