Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 27 december 2018

Idaho lab protects U.S. infrastructure from cyber attacks

By KEITH RIDLER, Associat- occurred in 2013, in which
ed Press the Justice Department
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) said seven Iranian hack-
— It’s called the “Dark ers working at the behest
Side” because the 50 work- of the Iranian government
ers there prefer to keep gained access to the con-
the lights low so they can trols of a dam in the sub-
dim the brightness on their urbs of New York City.
computer screens. Prosecutors said the hack-
Or maybe it’s because of ers would have been able
what they do in cyber re- to remotely access the
search and development. dam’s gate, but it was dis-
Questions about exactly connected at the time for
what goes on at the heart maintenance. Prosecutors
of one of the United States’ in an indictment made
primary cybersecurity facili- public in 2016 called it a
ties at the Idaho National “frightening new frontier in
Laboratory aren’t always cybercrime.”
answered, and photos by The hackers remain want-
outsiders aren’t allowed. ed by the FBI.
What is shared is that the The Dark Side room is in one
U.S. is rushing to catch up of multiple buildings in Ida-
with what cybersecurity In this September 2018 photo provided by the Idaho National Laboratory, INL interns Armando ho Falls that house the lab’s
experts say are threats by Juarez Jr., left, and Jordan Mussman work in the Faraday room in a cybersecurity electronics lab cybercore, a division within
hackers to systems that op- in Idaho Falls, Idaho. National and Homeland
erate energy pipelines, hy- Associated Press Security. It’s decorated
droelectric projects, drink- reaction mode right now.” to be finished next fall at a are called critical infra- with workers’ “alter egos,”
ing water systems and nu- The Idaho National Labo- cost of about $85 million. structure control systems, life-sized cardboard cut-
clear power plants across ratory is mainly known as “We’re almost out of space, as opposed to cybersecuri- outs of “Star Wars” heroes
the country. Hackers open- the nation’s primary lab for and we’re hiring like mad,” ty systems intended to pro- and other famous char-
ing valves, cutting power or nuclear research. But in the Cramer said. “So having tect information, such as acters such as Sheldon,
manipulating traffic lights, past decade, its cyberse- that (integration center) banking or personal health the genius and socially in-
for example, could have curity work has put it on the building in a year is going records. ept main character of the
serious consequences. leading edge there as well, to be incredible for us.” Its employees work to pre- comedy show “The Big
Scott Cramer, who directs and it’s expanding. The lab’s focus is on what vent threats like one that Bang Theory.”q
the lab’s cybersecurity pro- A new 80,000-square-
gram, said current efforts foot (7,400-square-meter)
mostly involve “bolting on” building called the Cy- Mars lander sets quake monitor on
cybersecurity protections bercore Integration Cen-
ture control systems amid ries and 200 workers. An- planet’s red surface
ter will hold 20 laborato-
to decades-old infrastruc-
concerns they’ve already other 67,000-square-foot
been infiltrated by mali- (6,200-square-meter) build- Wednesday to monitor
cious entities waiting for the ing called the Collabora- Mars quakes. Project man-
opportune time to strike. tive Computing Center will ager Tom Hoffman called
“This is no joke — there are house one of the nation’s the milestone “an awe-
vulnerabilities out there,” he most powerful supercom- some Christmas present.”
said. “We’re pretty much in puters. They are expected It’s the first time a robotic
arm has lowered an experi-
ment onto the Martian sur-
face. The ground is slightly
tilted, and so flight control-
lers at NASA’s Jet Propul-
sion Laboratory in Pasa-
dena, California, still need
to make the seismometer
level.
The French dome-shaped
seismometer is a little over
5 feet (1.6 meters) in front
of the stationary lander,
about as far as the arm
This photo provided by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shows can reach.
the new Mars lander placing a quake monitor on the planet’s Next month, InSight’s arm
dusty red surface. will put a wind cover over
Associated Press the seismometer and set
By MARCIA DUNN dusty red surface, just a down another experiment.
AP Aerospace Writer few weeks after its arrival. The heat probe, dubbed
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Mars InSight ‘s robotic arm the mole, will burrow up
(AP) — NASA’s new Mars removed the seismometer to 16 feet (5 meters) into
lander has placed a quake from the spacecraft deck Mars to measure internal
monitor on the planet’s and set it on the ground temperatures.q