DHS, Idaho National Lab Win Award for Cyber Training Programs

The Department of Homeland Security‘s National Cyber Security Division and the Idaho National Laboratory have won the 2011 U.S. National Cybersecurity Innovation Award for creating a series of training programs on defending the power grid and other utility systems, according to a SANS Institute announcement.

The programs…

NetApp to Provide Storage Foundation for New DOE Supercomputer

The U.S. Energy Department has selected NetApp to provide the storage foundation for its Sequoia supercomputer, which the company expects to be twice as fast as today’s most powerful system.

Sequoia will be housed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration establishment whose primary mission is to ensure the safety,…

Government Lab Hit by Cyber Attack

The government’s research and development facility, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was forced to shut down Internet access after suffering a cyber attack, according to Reuters.

“PNNL is experiencing an Internet outage due to a cyber attack,” the laboratory said in a voice mail message at the lab’s office of public affairs.

PNNL spokesman Greg Koller told The Associated Press services were being restored gradually.

“The good news is…

Proposed Bill Gives Energy Dept. Power in Cyber Emergency

Sens.  Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) have crafted and released a 12-page bipartisan draft of legislation aimed at protecting U.S. energy infrastructure from cyber attacks, Nextgov reports.

The lawmakers presented the legislation at a recent hearing for protecting energy from cyber threats. The senators have the backing of their…

Energy Department Lab Suffers Cyber Attack

A lab maintained by the Energy Department was forced to shut down its website and suspend Internet service after the discovery of a cyber attack.

Hackers broke into the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s website, in an attempt to steal privileged information and gain access into the lab’s computer system.

A follow-up attack targeted employees, some of which were vulnerable to an email scam and resulted in malware…

NERC Sets Up Cyber Task Force to Protect Power Grid

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation is setting up a cyber-attack task force to evaluate and help protect the U.S. power grid in the event of an web assault, according to a release from the electric reliability organization.

The 40-volunteer strong task force will identify opportunities to boost existing protection, resilience and recovery capabilities associated with power…