SOCIAL CYBERDEFENSE OF
URBAN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

A blog discussing how to leverage social engineering to defend against technical cyberattacks

MIT CYBERSECURITY CLINIC

The new MIT Cybersecurity Clinic (11.274 and 11.074) will be offered in both the fall and spring semester at MIT. 

The Cybersecurity Clinic will consist of four-modules : Cybersecurity for Critical Urban Infrastructure: Understanding the Problem; How the MIT Cybersecurity Clinic Makes Initial Contact with potential Client Agencies; Onsite Assessment of Cybersecurity Vulnerability by MIT Clinic Staff; and Prepare and Submit a Final Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessment to a Client Agency. MIT students who want to take on field assignments with the Cybersecurity Clinic (for academic credit) must pass the certification examination offered at the end of the fourth module. 

Students who have achieved certification, will work in teams supervised by advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students during the last nine weeks of the spring semester to collaborate with an assigned client agency to prepare a Cyberattack Vulnerability Assessment for a client agency.  

WHO WE ARE

We are developing a new class of non-technical strategies against cyberattacks called Defensive Social Engineering.  Cyber defenders can use Defensive Social Engineering along with technical tools to defeat or compromise attackers. One technique in the Defensive Social Engineering toolbox is Cyber Negotiation. This research is supported by MIT’s Internet Policy Research Initiative (IPRI).  

RESOURCES

Click here for a list of publications and resources

ABOUT THIS BLOG

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Governments Push for Windows 11 Migration as Windows 10 End Nears in October

September 1, 2025

Windows 10 support is scheduled to end on October 14, 2025. Organizations have until that date to upgrade to Windows 11, or they will need to start paying for extended Windows 10 support. Even then, paid support will only be available for up to three more years before the operating system reaches end-of-life.[1] 

Many federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and multiple military branches, have already mandated migration to Windows 11 ahead of the deadline.[2, 3, 4] While the adoption timelines differ among agencies, the message is clear: this transition is important.[5] Several state and local governments have also started their upgrade processes.[6]

Around the world, governments are urging immediate upgrades, warning of the security risks from unsupported systems.[7, 8] Failure to update after Windows XP’s end-of-life left many organizations vulnerable to the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which paralyzed critical services and caused millions in damages. Delaying the move to Windows 11 could result in similar large-scale cyberattacks in the future.

The Windows 11 upgrade also introduces new security hardware requirements, including TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0, UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), and support for Secure Boot, providing organizations an opportunity to refresh their device inventory and retire legacy system hardware.[9, 10, 11, 12]

[1] Windows Tech Community. When to Use Windows 10 Extended Security Updates. 2024.

[2] Department of the Navy (DON). DON Migration to Windows 11 Operating System. 2022.

[3] U.S. Marines. Marine Corps Microsoft Windows 11 Migration. 2022.

[4] U.S. Coast Guard. Modernizing Coast Guard Cyber Assets: Windows 11 Is Coming. 2023.

[5] FedTech Magazine. Early Bird Agencies Have Begun Deploying Windows 11. 2024.

[6] StateTech Magazine. State and Local Governments Migrate to Microsoft Windows 11. 2024.

[7] Free Press Journal. Indian Government Urges Windows 10 Users to Upgrade to Windows 11 to Prevent Data Leak. 2024.

[8] BetaNews. UK Government Issues Windows 11 Upgrade Warning Ahead of Windows 10 End of Life. 2025.

[9] Microsoft. Windows 11 Specifications. 2025.

[10] Microsoft Learn. Trusted Platform Module 2.0. 2025.

[11] Microsoft Learn. United Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Firmware Requirements. 2025.

[12] Microsoft Learn. Secure Boot. 2025.