Company’s ‘Smart Cities’ research to be used to educate U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on security issues

July 15, 2015

3 Min Read

PRESS RELEASE

Seattle, USA — July 15, 2015 – IOActive, Inc., the worldwide leader in research-driven security services, today announced that it has become a member of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT). 

IOActive will be instrumental in helping the ICIT strengthen its advisory services in areas related to Smart Cities, including cyber security around Internet of Things (IoT), including vehicles, smart grids, and devices.  

IOActive has already been collaborating on cutting edge research with ICIT, whose fellows and researchers will leverage its rich content in support of ICIT legislative briefings and government-wide education. The brief, Keeping Smart Cities Smart:  Preempting Emerging Cyber Attacks in U.S. Cities, which demonstrates the criticality of linking online and offline safety, has been distributed to members of the Cybersecurity Caucus and Homeland Security Committee. 

ICIT has also held meetings to discuss this research with with senior staffers from nearly a dozen offices – including Representatives McCaul (TX), Langevin (RI), Ratcliffe (TX), Marchant (TX) and Senators Markey (MA) and Alexander (RN) – which resulted in Sen. Alexander's office sponsoring ICIT to host a "Security Clinic" at the Senate building this summer. During this clinic, ICIT and IOActive will educate members of the Senate and House of Representatives through a series of workshops.

“As one of the most respected cyber security research and services organizations in the world, we are proud to announce the addition of IOActive to the Institute,” said Parham Eftekhari, a senior fellow and co-founder at ICIT. “As critical infrastructure leaders try to understand the post IoT threat landscape and how to defend themselves, IOActive’s experts and research will enhance ICIT’s ability to provide high impact briefs to our Nation’s policy makers.”

“Earlier this year we issued a call to action for ‘Smart Cities’ to take a more active role in protecting their citizens, and our collaboration with ICIT will empower IOActive to better help U.S. authorities improve cyber security. ICIT’s powerful programs that support open interaction between private and public sector for the betterment of communities is directly in line with our mission of creating safer online and offline environments,” said Cesar Cerrudo, chief technology officer for IOActive.

Earlier this month, IOActive launched its Internet of Things Assurance Services. For more information on these services, please visit: http://www.ioactive.com/services/internet-of-things-IoT.html.  

IOActive issued a call to action earlier this year for Smart Cities to take a more active role in its citizens’ protection. IOActive will showcase a series of talks and activities centered on math, physics, advanced technology and SCADA at both Black Hat USA 2015 and DEF CON 23. Other notable sessions include an overview of proof-of-concept attacks demonstrating XSLT’s potential to affect production systems, as well as the secret power of vulnerability assessment for both security and business benefits. For more information on these talks and what IOActive will be up to at the events, please visit: http://www.ioactive.com/alerts/ioasis-las-vegas-2015.html

About ICIT

The Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (www.icitech.org) is a non-partisan think tank providing objective advising to the legislative and federal community on technology and cybersecurity issues.  ICIT Fellows provide expertise on technology legislation as well as general thought leadership to Senate and House members, congressional staffers, federal agency leaders and the critical infrastructure community through ICIT briefings and other direct engagements.

About IOActive

IOActive is the industry’s only research-driven, high-end information security services firm with a proven history of better securing our customers through real-world scenarios created by our security experts. Our world-renowned consulting and research teams deliver a portfolio of specialist security services ranging from penetration testing and application code assessment to chip reverse engineering across multiple industries. IOActive is the only security services firm that has a dedicated practice focusing on Smart Cities and the transportation and technology that connects them. Global 500 companies across every industry continue to trust IOActive with their most critical and sensitive security issues. Founded in 1998, IOActive is headquartered in Seattle, US, with global operations through the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pac regions.  Visit www.ioactive.com for more information. Read the IOActive Labs Research Blog: http://blog.ioactive.com. Follow IOActive on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ioactive

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