Last month, NEUTC hosted a Cyber Informed Engineering Workshop. Hosted alongside Norwich University's Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS), Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, and UMass’s University Transportation Center, the workshop was a great success.
The comprehensive workshop provided information on the threat of cyber-attacks in the transportation field and the effect it can have on public safety, security, and financial stability. The topic brought together municipalities, state transportation departments, and public works officials to learn and discuss the future of transportation and cyber risks. It was a packed room with over 40 attendees engaged in the discussion.
Bridges, tolls, variable message signs, highway cameras, and traffic signal systems have all become increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This is why Cyber-Informed Engineering or CIE, is so important. CIE integrates cybersecurity considerations into engineering design as a foundational element. It aims to prevent cyber-enabled disruptions through security. The Department of Energy issued the National CIE Strategy in 2022, to support the development of tools, education programs, and international standards for secure infrastructure design. Embedding CIE into programs creates a cybersecurity-aware culture among engineering teams, fostering proactive defense rather than reactive mitigation.
The workshop examined these topics and taught attendees the importance of CIE to combat the threat cyber disruption in the field of transportation.