The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) recently hosted Louisiana State University (LSU) and industry partners at CISA’s Control Environment Laboratory Resource (CELR) for a cybersecurity training exercise.
The CISA-INL-LSU team and energy industry partners used the CELR chemical processing platform located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, from April 15 to 17 to train against simulated cyberattacks on operational technology (OT) and traditional IT. The CELR is located at and operated by INL on behalf of CISA.
“Collaborating with LSU and industry partners is extremely beneficial in strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity knowledge and ability to respond to threats. This training is another step in our shared vision to expand the opportunity for critical infrastructure entities to strengthen their cybersecurity using CELR,” Matt Hartman, CISA deputy executive assistant director for cybersecurity, said in an April 23 press release.
The CELR platforms model critical infrastructure with integrated industrial processes to represent how real-world facilities might be compromised through cyberattacks. The training participants were positioned in a live environment with OT and IT traffic that was attacked by a team posing as an adversary.
The participants’ mission was to detect and respond to cyberattacks through industrial control systems (ICS) elements. CISA said these elements include “supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), OT and IT systems, and other key components widely used in industrial facilities.”
“INL’s Controls Laboratory hosts five CISA-sponsored ICS testbeds, offering immersive environments for partners to experience realistic cyberattack scenarios against critical infrastructure,” said INL Cybersecurity Program Manager Tim Huddleston. “We were proud to host industry partners and academia in this exercise, helping them improve their skills in cyber hunting and incident response, which reduces the risk from malicious cyber actors.”
Last week’s exercise is part of an ongoing collaborative effort by CISA, DHS S&T, INL, and LSU to develop technical cyber talent for critical infrastructure and protect ICS environments. LSU is the first university in the United States that the Federal government has invited to participate in the CELR exercise.
Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, LSU will manage the Oil and Natural Gas platform and host similar training sessions for energy sector partners, state cyber defenders, and members of the LSU community.
“As a leading energy and chemical manufacturing state, Louisiana’s cybersecurity posture around its critical infrastructure has national implications,” said Greg Trahan, director of economic development at LSU and special advisor to LSU President William F. Tate IV on cyber initiatives. “The invitation by CISA and INL to participate in this exercise underscores what we know: LSU has emerged as one of the most important and consequential cybersecurity schools in the country.”
