The new funds announced will help continue studies in cyber security that started last year at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The computers that control infrastructure have become increasingly vulnerable to hacker attack. Standard software, ubiquitous Internet connections, and more available information have combined to make bringing down the power grid, flooding a sewer system, or opening a dam relatively easy.
The DHS has already granted $2.5 million to 13 companies through its Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Small Business Innovation Research Grants. Last year, the department spent $10 million on similar research at INL.
