Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Salem State University debuted their Cyber Range training program with the opening of their brand new cyber security lab on Thursday.
The lab is outfitted with computers that simulate a real network hit with a cyber-attack.
These simulations place students in close-to-real life situations to help them be more prepared for a genuine cyber security breach.
Lieutenant Governor and Salem State alumna Kim Driscoll said she felt that a lab like this was necessary in this day and age.
“We’ve seen it at hospitals impacting when you can schedule surgeries when systems go down,” said Driscoll. “We've seen it at airlines, we've seen communities who have been held hostage.”
The program and its lab cost more than $600,000 to fund, but the lieutenant governor felt that every penny was worth it.
“Having Salem State students be able to have this equipment in place and be able to train students for good paying jobs is really for us a high return on investment,” added Driscoll.
Lieutenant Governor Driscoll was the first female mayor of Salem before being elected to her current role, so such advancements for her alma mater and the city as a whole hit home for her.
University President John Keenan also has high hopes for the program.
He reiterated Lieutenant Governor Driscoll’s sentiment that cyber security attacks aren’t disappearing and that a lab like this will give students invaluable knowledge and skills.
“The intensity of the attacks is only going to grow exponentially. AI is just going to blow that whole thing up even more,” said President Keenan. “Absolutely this is going to be what the workforce needs in this region now and for years to come.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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