October 2014 Newsletter: Michigan DARPA MD.MFP: "MD.MFP Promotes the DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge"

During the month of October, Mac-OU INC employees attended the GrrCON Information Security Summit & Hacker Conference in Grand Rapids. With the tagline “no egos, no divas, just a good time and good content,” this hacking conference welcomes everyone from Fortune 500 executives to self-proclaimed hackers of “flexible” morals.

The Michigan Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Matching Funds Program (MD.MFP) is seeking to assist Michigan teams participating in the DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge (CGC) through MD.MFP-designated Challenge Funding Support. Therefore, GrrCON was the ideal promotion location for Michigan-based competitors. In addition, immersing oneself in the target market was an eye-opening learning opportunity.

“Attending GrrCon was a great place to promote our DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge fund assistance program as well as learn more about cyber security issues that the U.S. faces. As an incubator focused on Defense and Homeland Security, it is important to remain current on issues that are relevant to our core focus,” Stacey Frankovich, Mac-OU INC’s Market Development Manager, says.

All Michigan cyber-patriots from academia, small business and industry are invited to team-up and compete in the CGC with potential support from MD.MFP. The challenge’s final winning team receives a cash prize of $2 million, with second place earnings of $1 million and third place taking home $750,000. Team applications are accepted through November 2, 2014. For more information, view the MD.MFP Cyber Grand Challenge flier.

The ideal timing of GrrCON coincided with Governor Rick Snyder proclaiming October in Michigan as Cyber Security Awareness Month in recognition of the ever-increasing need for citizens, businesses and governments to prepare for attacks through the Internet. For perspective, the State of Michigan blocks more than 500,000 hacking attempts each day on its networks, and data theft and security breaches cost businesses worldwide an estimated $1 trillion annually.

To further protect Michigan, enhancements have been made to the Michigan Security Operations Center to guard against cyber and physical threats to state facilities and systems. The Michigan Cyber Range, launched in 2012, provides a world-class training facility for cyber security professionals to hone their skills in a safe environment.

On November 17, Mac-OU INC staff members will attend Snyder’s North American International Cyber Summit in Detroit. This will be the third cyber summit in Michigan to bring together cyber security professionals from around the globe, providing the opportunity to learn from industry leaders and network with others in the field. Highly respected speakers from the public and private sectors will address emerging trends, technology and best practices.