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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USA Today: Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure Are Increasingly Common

January 10, 2025

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure have become increasingly common, posing significant threats to essential services such as water supplies, energy grids, and transportation systems. These attacks can lead to severe disruptions, economic losses, and even endanger public safety.

Foreign adversaries have been behind several high-profile attacks on critical infrastructure including the Colonial Gas Pipeline Attack in 2021 by Russian hackers and the Salt Typhoon infiltration of major U.S. telecoms companies in October of 2024 by Chinese hackers. Experts say the goal of most cyber warfare is probing an adversary’s systems for weaknesses. Probing attacks, which number thousands per year, are virtual spying missions, searching for vulnerabilities to exploit in possible future conflicts.

Read the full article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/25/hacking-attacks-on-critical-infrastructure-more-common/75792143007/