Recently, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) suffered massive cyber-attack forcing the organization to disable access to the website, and blocked Internet and e-mail access, SharePoint and wireless network connections. Around 50 cyber security professionals reportedly stretched for as long as 36 hours to identify and mitigate the problem and secure the computer systems. The security professionals of the national laboratory are also investigating the source of the attack. Preliminary investigations have not revealed any breach of data. The computer systems of the national laboratory contain sensitive information related to national security as well as confidential scientific information. Unauthorized access to such sensitive information may compromise national security and disrupt scientific activities. Rival intelligence agencies, attackers loyal to rival nation states, cyber-attack groups, terrorist organizations and activists may carry out cyber-attacks. Unauthorized access to secret scientific information may result in loss of Intellectual property and competitive advantage of the organizations.
The laboratory reportedly repels around 4 million cyber-attacks every day, but the latest attack was more sophisticated than the regular attacks. PNNL restored access to the website for a brief period, but security professionals disabled the site again as a precautionary measure. The activities of the laboratory may remain disrupted for few more days. The attacks were reportedly part of a wider attack, which included the one on Battelle’s Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, the company which manages PNNL. Battelle also co-manages six other laboratories.
The attack on PNNL follows cyber-attack on other Department of Energy laboratories, including that on Oakridge National Laboratory few months ago, and most recently on Y2K National Security Complex. Lockheed Martin, one of the defense contractors also faced cyber-attacks. Cyber-attackers also targeted the websites of the Central Investigative Agency (CIA), Arizona Department of Public Safety and the U.S Senate. IT professionals may upgrade their skills through online university degree programs and security certifications and enhance their expertise to deal with sophisticated threats.
Government and business organizations have been frequent target of cyber-attacks in the recent months. The cyber-attacks have resulted in disclosure of sensitive information. The attack on Sony’s PSN network resulted in compromise of information related to over 100 million users. Cyber-attackers also targeted many other websites of the group. Professionals qualified in computer science degree and penetration testing may help organizations in understanding the risks involved in business environment and identifying security flaws before their exploitation by cyber-attackers.
Security and data breach incidents have huge financial implications on the businesses and customers. Sony had already incurred around $171 million due to the security and data breach incident at PSN network, Qriocity and some other websites. The use of common passwords multiplies the impact of data breach incidents on customers. E-learning and online degree programs may help home Internet users and employees in understanding and implementing cyber security fundamentals.
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EC-Council
Website: http://www.eccuni.us
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 505-341-3228
EC-Council University is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and offers Master of Security Science (MSS) degree to students from various backgrounds such as graduates, IT Professionals, and military students amongst several others. The MSS is offered as a 100% online degree program and allows EC-Council University to reach students from not only the United States, but from all around the world.
EC-Council is a member-based organization that certifies individuals in cybersecurity and e-commerce skills. It is the owner and developer of 16 security certifications, including Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)/License Penetration Tester (LPT). Its certificate programs are offered in over 60 countries around the world.
EC-Council has trained over 80,000 individuals and certified more than 30,000 members, through more than 450 training partners globally. These certifications are recognized worldwide and have received endorsements from various government agencies including the U.S. federal government via the Montgomery GI Bill, Department of Defense via DoD 8570.01-M, National Security Agency (NSA) and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS). EC-Council also operates the global series of Hacker Halted security conferences.
