Protecting the home front: Cities battle to keep computer systems safe from cyberattack
Hackers continue to make more frequent and sophisticated attempts to infiltrate municipalities and government computer systems. In the past few months, Augusta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas, are among the cities that have experienced system breaches. Some of the unauthorized access is caused by employees simply clicking on a wrong link, while others are premeditated attempts to steal data through the breach.
They aren’t easy to defend, but everyone, including individuals, governments and businesses, must be vigilant when it comes to protocols and security.
Michael Nowatkowski is the head of the cyber program of study in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University and knows there are a lot of bad actors out there.
“There’s potential, if they are able to get onto your system, that it would be something like ransomware, where they would prevent you from using your data,” said Nowatkowski. He added it might not be just for monetary gain. They could simply eavesdrop and collect data without anyone’s knowledge.
“You want to find them as quickly as possible so they can’t perform these malicious activities or sit in a dormant state just collecting data for a long period of time,” he added. When it comes to attacks on cities, Nowatkowski said the bad actors may just want to discredit the city or agency by defacing their web pages. In other cases, they may force a ransomware attack to get money out of the city to re-access the data.
He added it’s a challenge to prepare and defend for the attacks, as you never know what the attack vector is going to be.
“For cities to defend, they always have to be vigilant. They should try to encourage their users to use the systems responsibly. User education is a very big step and is a proactive step in defending your networks,” said Nowatkowski. He also said if an attack did happen, it’s important to look for ways to prevent future attacks, try to figure out the root cause of how the attack happened and put measures into place to prevent them from happening in the future. This may include having a third party conduct an assessment of the network to look for vulnerabilities.
If you’re a journalist look to know more or have been assigned to cover any aspect of cybersecurity in the nation, then let our experts help with your coverage.
Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is an associate professor with the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. He also serves as the head of the cyber program of study. Nowatkowski is available to speak with media regarding the emerging threat of cybersecurity in America. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
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Cyber-attacks are rising to the top of American concerns
With the rising occurrence of cyber-attacks across America, institutions, banks, government agencies and top-tier companies are now either falling victim or feeling vulnerable to attack from online enemies abroad.
It’s a topic that is now front and center that has most leaders regardless of poltical party in agreement and media across the country are starting to cover with more depth and seriousness.
Most Americans across party lines have serious concerns about cyberattacks on U.S. computer systems and view China and Russia as major threats, according to a new poll. The poll by The Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 9 in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain utilities. About two-thirds say they are very or extremely concerned. Roughly three-quarters say the Chinese and Russian governments are major threats to the cybersecurity of the U.S. government, and at least half also see the Iranian government and non-government bodies as threatening. October 11 – Associated Press "I am really interested in the security of our critical infrastructure systems," said Dr. Michael Nowatkowski. " If an attacker were able to shut those systems down, great harm would result. This is a national security issue."
If you’re a journalist look to know more or have been assigned to cover any aspect of cyber-security in the country, then let our experts help with your coverage.
Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is an Associate Professor with the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. He also serves as the Head of the Cyber Program of Study. Nowatkowski is available to speak with media regarding the emerging threat of cyber-security in America, simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
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Biography
Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is a professor with Augusta University's School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. He also serves as the director of AU’s Cyber Institute and head of Cyber Programs of Study.
Areas of Expertise
Hardware and Embedded Systems
Cellular and Mobile Technology
Defensive Cyber Operations
Cyber Operations Education
TCP/IP Protocol Analysis
Control System Security
Medical Device Security
Information Assurance
Electronics
Education
Georgia Institute of Technology
Ph.D.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
2010
Georgia Institute of Technology
M.S.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
2000
Air Force Institute of Technology
TOOC
Teleprocessing Operations Officer Course
1991
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
B.S.
Electrical Engineering
1990
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Affiliations
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Eta Kappa Nu, National Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society
InfraGard - InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and members of the private sector for the protection of U.S. Critical Infrastructure
International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)²
American Radio Relay League, ARRL (Amateur Extra, KO4ASU)
Chinese cameras may be able to spy on U.S. infrastructure; according to DHS bulletin
The National News Desk online
2025-02-06
According to a new bulletin released by the Department of Homeland Security, cameras made in China may be able to spy on U.S. infrastructure. Officials say the internet-connected cameras allow the Chinese government to conduct espionage or disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure.
Michael Nowatkowski, who specializes in cybersecurity at Augusta University says, tens of thousands of these Chinese-made cameras are connected to the networks of U.S. infrastructure.
"They may be designed with backdoors that allow remote connectivity into those cameras even without the knowledge of the owner," Nowatkowski said.
AI will likely boost data center power demand over 150% by 2030
The National Desk tv
2024-08-13
Data center power demand will grow 160% by 2030, largely because of artificial intelligence, a new study from Goldman Sachs Research says.
Chrysta Castaneda, a lawyer with expertise in the energy industry said the amount of bandwidth needed to run an AI search is much greater than people realize.
"So much more computers are needed and so much more electricity is needed to run the computers," Castaneda said.
According to The International Energy Agency, a single-use ChatGPT question requires 2.9-watt hours of electricity compared to the 0.3-watt hours for a Google search.
A professor of cyber sciences at Augusta University, Michael Nowatkowski, said using all this additional power for AI could create some problems.
That could cause more severe brownouts or even loss of power depending on the demand placed on the power grid," said Nowatkowski.
Fariba Mamaghani with Tulane University's Business School said the price of the power market can be determined by the demand. So if demand goes up, so too will prices.
New cyberattack targets iPhone users, Apple ID information
The National Desk tv
2024-07-05
A warning has been issued to all iPhone users after tech experts uncovered a new cyberattack targeting Apple IDs.
In this case it's an Apple ID. Your Apple ID is what really opens your phone and you can really think of it as like a master key," said Michael Nowatkowski, cyber institute director at Augusta University. Here's how the scam works: cyber criminals will send you a text message, claiming to be from Apple. They will then ask you to click on a link to access an "important message" about iCloud.
Urgent warning for people with iPhones. Geoff Harris reports why this new cyberattack is a lot more clever than before, July 5, 2024. (TND)
You will click on a link and it will go to what appears to be a legitimate page but it's really just something that's been recreated," said Nowatkowski. From there, the fake website will then ask users to hand over their Apple ID information.
That would give someone access to your contacts, your payment information," said Nowatkowski. Ramnath Chellappa is a professor of information systems at Emory University. He said to better protect yourself, set up two-factor authentication that requires a password and verification code from an outside device.
Augusta University hosts cyber and robotics themed camp
The Augusta Press online
2024-07-29
Augusta University once again opened its doors on the Summerville Campus from June 24-28 to interest local children in the importance of computer and cyber sciences by participating in the VICEROY Kids Camp.
Celebrating its third year, VICEROY camp – otherwise known as the Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ – is an extension of AU’s college program and offers children a variety of lessons and activities.
With almost 50 attendees from across the Greater Augusta area, ranging from fourth to eighth grade, Camp VICEROY freely teaches children about cybersecurity, cyber ethics, programming, how to use micro:bits to build electronics, programming basics and more.
“They learn about password length and how to protect their accounts online … and we’re trying to get them used to how to convert instructions for a computer to code,” said Camp Director and university professor Michael Nowatkowski.
Students competing and learning in the world of Cyber
WJBF tv
2024-05-14
We are focusing on all things cyber on this edition of The Means Report. Dr. Michael Nowatkowski heads up the Cyber Institute at Augusta University. He talks to us about recent cyber competitions. These games help students sharpen their cyber skills. He also discusses the huge need for employees in the cyber industry. AU is getting these students ready for the workforce. Watch our interview and be sure to join us every Monday at 12:30pm for The Means Report on WJBF NewsChannel 6.
New program aims to fill a need in the cybersecurity workforce
WJBF News online
2021-06-07
The field of cybersecurity continues to grow, but that growth is outpacing qualified candidates for the jobs. The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program – CyberSkills2Work – is coming to Augusta University. Steve Weldon and Dr. Michael Nowatkowski join The Means report to talk about the program, the needs in cybersecurity, and what the future holds in that field.
1,759 local jobs unfilled: Cybersecurity opportunities expand amid national labor shortage
Augusta Chronicle print
2022-04-21
Amid a national shortage of cybersecurity workers, employers are scrambling not only to fill jobs but to keep the employees they already have.
Alongside Americans doing their banking, home security, doctors' visits and even crafting with digital technology – blockchain, 3-D printing, artificial intelligence, and mobile apps, to name a few types – is the demand that people’s private data stays private, and these tools remain functional. But the likelihood of hiring a qualified candidate for one of those jobs is a lot lower than that of finding Minecraft on a middle schooler's tablet.
Cybersecurity expert on ways you can protect yourself from scammers
WJBF News online
2021-01-20
Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is an associate professor at Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. He says there are red flags that can help you spot a scammer. If someone claims to be contacting you from the government, and they ask for confidential personal information, it is likely not legitimate. “The government is never going to call you and ask you for that information,” Dr. Nowatkowski said. “And they’re especially not going to ask you to give them any money.”
Prescription for protection: Researchers study better safeguards for health care data
The Augusta Chronicle online
2020-09-18
Can a $500 electronic blood pressure monitor bring a billion-dollar hospital organization to its knees? Absolutely, says Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, an associate professor with Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences.
Janet Peischel's The Internet Marketer: TikTok: The social app that comes with Pentagon warning
Napa Valley Register online
2020-01-27
Michael Nowatkowski, an associate professor of cyber sciences at Augusta University and senior research fellow at the Army Cyber Institute, said TikTok poses a greater risks than other social-media companies because of ByteDance’s Chinese ownership.
Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, associate professor of Information Security at Augusta University, says the black market pays big bucks for sensitive medical information, which is a prime reason cybercriminals are willing to put in the effort to break in. “Fraudulent activity with credit cards can be picked up fairly quickly, but it can be years before a medical fraud scheme is detected,” said Nowatkowski.
“Prior to network connectivity, these devices were protected by physical security. Only authorized medical personnel were allowed in the room with the patient. If changes to the infusion pump operations were made, they were made by pressing buttons on the device,” says Michael Nowatkowski, information security professor at the Augusta University Cyber Institute.
Augusta denies it was hacked, group says it has more info
The Augusta Chronicle online
2018-04-30
“It could prevent us from looking at new research areas,” said Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, associate professor of information security. “It could prevent us from partnerships with companies that do this sort of investigation.”
Atlanta cyber attack: Hartsfield-Jackson wi-fi still down
Atlanta Journal Constitution online
2018-03-26
“What makes it maybe more of a danger at an airport is simply the concentration of the number of people in that area, so that would just expose you to more potential hazards, more people that might want to take advantage of your system,” Nowatkowski said.
Augusta University introduces girls to city's growing cyber world through coding classes
WRDW.com online
2017-06-29
"There's a lot of good ideas that everybody can bring to that workforce," Nowatkowski says. "To think that half of our population is not potentially interested or going to come into that workforce really puts us at a disadvantage."
CSRA power grid has little to fear from Russian hackers
The Augusta Press online
2022-03-13
Michael Nowatkowski, assistant professor at Augusta University’s College of Computer and Cyber Science, agrees and says that the biggest cyber threat to the average Augustan is not from the Russian military, but rather from scammers looking to profit off of the carnage in Ukraine.
“Anytime something like this or a natural disaster happens, you always have people taking advantage of the crisis by attempting to use people’s generosity to commit identity theft,” Nowatkowski said.
According to Nowatkowski, the best protection is not to engage anyone soliciting donations over the internet. Instead, he advises those who want to help Ukranians to use a known entity such as the Red Cross.
Cyber News Now: Augusta University researching vulnerabilities in medical devices
WFXG tv
2022-04-18
Augusta University is researching cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices. Faculty and students are hacking into the technologies to find cybersecurity shortfalls. Devices like infusion pumps have been donated to the research effort from hospital surplus as well as from Phillips.
People rely on experts to improve their health at the hospital. Part of this includes using medical devices. However, those devices could have vulnerabilities.
"They've [hospitals] started connecting these devices to networks. So, now they're similar to internet of things devices." said Michael Nowatkowski, Associate Professor.
Nowatkowski says the risk lies in the connection.
"If you are able to spoof a response back to the medical device, you could get it to talk to you potentially instead of the actual health record the device intends to talk to."
You will click on a link and it will go to what appears to be a legitimate page but it's really just something that's been recreated. From there, the fake website will then ask users to hand over their Apple ID information. That would give someone access to your contacts, your payment information
So some concerns are always they would want to steal your data that sometimes referred to as a breach where they are going to take your data. There's also potential if they are able to get into your system that it would be something like ransomware, where they would prevent you from using your data. There are other that they could do if they get into your network. They could just sit there and evesdrop and continue to collect your data without your knowledge.
Medical Devices: Reverse Engineering for Innovation and Advancement in Healthcare
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Dillon Tauscher; Michael Nowatkowski, PhD; Jeffrey Morris, PhD; David Baldwin
2024-04-24
Research suggests medical devices are particularly vulnerable to wireless attacks- whether using conventional or non-conventional protocols. This study provides analysis and comparison of several selected medical devices that will model a functional wireless network, communicating between patient and host. Results enable the identification and detection of attack vectors or vulnerabilities in devices and categorically allow for placement into a model akin to the Purdue/TCP/IP models-focusing on Medical Internet of Things (MIoT). The interconnectivity of multiple devices lends itself to a variety of security issues, including man-in-the-middle attacks. Interception, jamming, and altering of traffic from embedded, wearable, and bedside devices. These have serious consequences regardless of initial intent- as human life and safety are at stake. This study will not only contribute to the advancement of medical device security, but also to improve patient safety, data privacy, and reliability of interconnected healthcare technologies and delivery.
Jack Voltaic Critical Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships
ACI Technical Reports
Michael Nowatkowski, et al.
2019
This report summarizes the U.S. Army Cyber Institute’s (ACI’s) work to date on Jack Voltaic (JV), a research project that focuses on critical infrastructure and public-private partnerships (PPPs). JV research, which includes contributions from academia, industry, and government, explores how to synchronize Department of Defense (DoD)/U.S. Government and private sector capabilities in a cyberspace attack response. JV is a research framework that enables the Army to recognize the impacts of cyberspace operations from a municipal and critical infrastructure perspective.
Thomas Gordon, Eric Kilgore, Nick Wylds, Michael Nowatkowski
2019
The immediate goal of this work is to determine uses for different hardware reverse engineering tools, compare and contrast which tools correspond with desired tasks, and provide an outline to achieve hardware reverse engineering goals for students or entry level engineers.
2018 IEEE International Symposium on Technology in Society Proceedings
Paul Maxwell & Michael Nowatkowski
2018
The development of unmanned vehicle technology is rapidly proceeding and will result in numerous advances in autonomous vehicles. Most of the research effort to date focuses on the safe and effective operation of these vehicles that will allow them to integrate into society.
Summer immersive experiences provide students the opportunity to explore the limits of their engineering education and develop a depth in a field of study. For institutions that centrally manage these experiences, ranging from experiments conducted at other academic locations to research and development with industry partners, to procurement and development with government laboratories and program offices, it can be difficult to ensure that all participants are receiving quality experiences.
Georgianna Laws, Michael Nowatkowski, John Heslen, Sharn Vericella
2018
Online education brings access and convenience to higher-education learners all over the world. At the same time, the cyber environment creates unprecedented privacy and security dilemmas to all involved in online education. This paper invites online administrators, faculty, and students to go beyond the information-security protection afforded by higher-education IT departments and consider cyber hygiene as a personal responsibility—a mindset to be incorporated into one’s portfolio of preventative lifestyle habits in and out of the virtual classroom.
Key terrain in cyberspace: Seeking the high ground
2014 6th International Conference on Cyber Security (CyCon)
David Raymond, Tom Cross, Gregory Conti & Michael Nowatkowski
2014
In military doctrine, key terrain refers to areas which, if seized, afford an advantage to an attacker or defender. When applied to geographic terrain, this definition is clear. Key terrain might include a hill that overlooks a valley an enemy wants to control or a crossing point over a river that must be traversed before launching an attack.
Vehicular network pseudonym distribution in congested urban environments
2012 Proceedings of IEEE Southeastcon
Joseph Benin, Michael Nowatkowski, Henry Owen
2012
As vehicular networks (a.k.a. VANETs) continue to mature, the benefits they promise come closer to reality. For this to happen, both security and privacy must be provided. Particularly in dense urban environments, novel methods of distributing the often changing identity (pseudonyms or PNs) of the vehicles is necessary in order to ensure vehicles have sufficient PNs.
Vehicular network simulation propagation loss model parameter standardization in ns-3 and beyond
2012 Proceedings of IEEE Southeastcon
Joseph Benin, Michael Nowatkowski & Henry Owen
2012
Vehicular Networks (VANETs) continue to mature and their installation is becoming a reality. Meanwhile, simulation has become an indispensable tool for validating design and providing insight into how complex systems work. Yet the results of a simulation are only as good as the simulator's configuration.
