John Bluck

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

650/604-5026 or 650/604-9000

jbluck@mail.arc.nasa.gov

Jeff Olson

University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

208/885-8934

jolson@uidaho.edu

NASA/UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO TO FIGHT ATTACKS ON COMPUTERS

RELEASE: 00-85AR

NASA and the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, have joined forces to research ways to oppose attacks on computer systems. NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced the collaboration during a visit to the university's winter commencement Dec 16.

The partnership allows NASA to provide a real world source of data and systems to be used in the research effort at UI. The findings will help NASA enhance its ability to respond to challenges from cyberspace.

"This project is intended to position NASA to aggressively respond to cyber attacks on the NASA information technology infrastructure and programs through rapid identification of the start of an attack and projection of the direction and targets," said Scott Santiago of NASA’s Ames Research Center, located in California’s Silicon Valley. "Those first steps could be followed by an immediate response to neutralize the threat and identification of countermeasures to reduce future vulnerabilities," he said. A NASA Ames representative signed the Dec.15, 2000, memorandum of agreement with UI to form the partnership.

UI researchers in the Center for Secure and Dependable Software are nationally recognized specialists in Internet security. The National Security Agency selected the UI in May 1999 as one of the original seven universities nationwide designated as Centers of Excellence In Information Assurance Education.

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and the state's congressional delegation facilitated the memorandum of understanding that outlines NASA-UI cooperation on the research.

-end-

text-only version of this release

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