Exclusive Media Invite - Hack the Building 2020

The Maryland Innovation & Security Institute (MISI) and Dreamport, a partnership between MISI and United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), invite media to join cybersecurity, control system and government professionals at Hack the Building, November 16-19 and streaming live on Twitch. Hack the Building is an unrivaled, hands-on live facilities critical infrastructure cybersecurity challenge featuring more than 50 teams from industry, federal labs, building automation companies, academia and government agencies - all competing to infiltrate, disrupt or take over a connected smart building and the computing systems and data inside the building.

As outlined in the official Hack the Building Handbook, the event is a virtual challenge built around a specially-designated, real-world target: A live, fully-equipped 150,000 square-foot “smart” office building near Annapolis, Maryland that teams on-site and remote are challenged to attack through its diverse IT, control systems, Internet of Things (IoT), access control, surveillance camera, building automation and other systems.

Hack the Building was created to address four core goals:

1. Provide a realistic environment for teams conducting offensive and defensive cyber operations against real-life IT, control, and manufacturing target systems without fear of violating laws or risking property damage.
2. Discover scenarios proven to allow someone to exploit target systems causing real-world physical events which, without intervention, would result in disruption, loss of physical assets, exfiltration of controlled unclassified information (CUI), and damage or destruction.
3. Modeling and simulation of risks affecting existing US Defense Industrial Base (DIB).
4. Deliver realistic evaluations of defensive cyber solutions designed to protect control systems, IoT and manufacturing technology.

The target building is staged as belonging to “BCR Industries,” a fictitious defense industrial base “manufacturing and engineering company” mocked-up for the competition to represent an attractive target with “sensitive U.S. government contracts.” This illustrates Hack the Building’s imperative, overarching public-private partnership focus on raising awareness of critical infrastructure protection and evolving cyber risks across interconnected computer networks, control and building systems.

“As once-isolated buildings and physical control systems converge with modern networks, it is crucial for cybersecurity, facility engineering and other disciplines to study attack and defense hands-on and learn from each other,” said Armando Seay, Director and Co-Founder of MISI and event organizer. “Hack the Building’s competition and teams yield immediate, practical cyber defense skills and knowledge - but the returns are even greater for our stakeholders charged with protecting connected offices, assembly lines and other sites government agencies and contractors rely on for mission readiness and citizen service.”

Hack the Building’s team roster page shows the marquee cybersecurity vendor, university, military and other government organizations with teams in the event, which is organized into two days of offense, followed by a virtual conference and pitch competition and two days of offense vs. defense competition. More details are on the event’s registration page and agenda.

Follow the latest Hack the Building news and join the break-in using #HTB2020

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maryland-innovation-security-institute/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MdMisi

About Hack the Building

Hack the Building highlights the importance of critical infrastructure cybersecurity for commercial and government facilities. The event serves as a showcase for offensive and defensive cyber skills centered on critical infrastructure cyber such as building automation systems (BAS), industrial control cyber (ICS), IoT devices used in typical commercial and government office buildings and related information technology (IT) that these systems utilize. Hack the Building is the most realistic and immersive exercise of its kind, featuring a fully functional 150,000 square-foot office building equipped including utilities, diesel generators, IP cameras, access control and business systems, Wi-Fi and on-site factory operations. The building is staged as facilities belonging to “BCR Industries,” a fictional manufacturing and engineering company cast as supporting the United States Government, complete with its own Web site and other online attack surfaces to increase realism. Visit https://www.hackthebuilding.tech for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201116005001/en/