By Adair Thaxton, Internet2 Cyberinfrastructure Security Engineer
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Security Scene is a monthly roundup of cybersecurity news highlights compiled by Internet2 Cyberinfrastructure Security Engineer Adair Thaxton. Adair connects recent headlines to security best practices, within the lens of the research and education community and our broader digital society. Plus, she’s got jokes!
Happy February! Hopefully, your local weather is warming up and getting less windy, the end of the school year is in sight, and everyone is healthy.
It’s Black History Month, and you should read ISC’s list of Black cybersecurity and computer science pioneers, as well as Duo’s list of contemporary Black luminaries. Satellites, cartridge-based game systems, and peripherals were among the innovations developed by the technologists on ISC’s list, and those on Duo’s list have a wide array of outstanding projects and community-focused initiatives. Then, explore the National Cryptologic Foundation’s list of Black cryptologists who have worked in the National Security Agency and our military to make our country more secure.
The SANS Institute is partnering with HBCUs to offer a scholarship academy for cybersecurity, with classes beginning this April. The article notes that “only 4 percent of the cybersecurity workforce self-identifies as Black,” and reading the lists above, it’s clear that as an industry we need to break down barriers and bring more Black professionals into the field. The SANS program encompasses three courses over 12 weeks and is open to juniors, seniors, and graduates of HBCUs.
The ARIN-NONAUTH Internet Routing Registry (IRR) will shut down in April this year. Steven Wallace, the keeper of Internet2’s routing security reports, notes that about 50 Internet2-connected organizations still rely on the non-authenticated registry. As routing policies are increasingly generated by automation, this means that the remaining network operators who have NOT migrated to ARIN’s authenticated IRR (accessible via login at arin.net) will find their traffic to networks such as Google, Amazon, and Hurricane Electric taking the non-Internet2 paths, potentially impacting transit costs for those organizations.
I hope you’re all staying happy and healthy, and that you’re taking the necessary steps to keep your routing happy and healthy, too!
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