DTWNews

The internet is full of a lot of information, shops, and other commodities that make it a treasure trove for its users. One can find just about anything online if they know where to look. However, it’s also a danger.

Cyber security has been on the minds of many officials across the country, and many consumers, too. Recently there was a law proposed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that aims to increase cyber security knowledge among a percentage of Small Business Development Center (SBDC) employees. The law was proposed by U.S. Senator Gary Peters and requires that at least 10% of the employees of SBDC get certified in cyber strategy counseling.

“Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in our country each year, and they need the right tools and skills to identify cyber threats and protect their customers and their livelihoods,” Peters said.

Small and medium-sized business owners are often looking to invest in new and improved websites for their companies, with 57.7% of them doing so. This means that they need to understand what threats that site could have made to its security, especially if they have a lot of customer information stored there. New websites could mean needing new methods to keep it safe.

The growing interest in cyber security has also spread to other areas outside of the professional world and taken root in the classroom. At the Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, the inaugural U.S. Army TARDEC Commercial Cybertruck Challenge is underway.

At this event, 84 college students, academics, and other professionals will be given hands-on challenges that involve the systems of two semi-trucks and military vehicles used to detect IEDs. The officials at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center, who organized the challenge, hope to spark interest in cyber security jobs.

“Cyber is the fifth domain of warfare now, we are fighting it on a daily basis,” said Daniel Newport, director of the science and technology cyber security group at TARDEC.

On Wednesday and Thursday, students will be attempting to infiltrate the cyber security systems to check if there are weaknesses that can be exploited.

The challenge will be at the Community College’s Sports and Expo Center and is sponsored by the Michigan Defense Center’s Protect and Grow Initiative.