“The cyber threat to our nation is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face.” — President Barack Obama*
Why Sandia?
Sandia was doing cyber before the term cyberspace existed. Today cybersecurity is a daunting national security problem, and we're applying decades of expertise to the task. As the most networked nation on earth, the United States is extremely vulnerable. To keep systems safe and foil attacks, we develop protective technologies, conduct threat assessments, and analyze government, military, and civilian computer networks.
Research
Fundamental research helps us stay ahead of threats. Sandia’s research efforts in cybersecurity are focused in three broad areas:
- Trusted hardware, software, and systems
- Networks and systems architectures and analysis
- Effective cyber defense systems
Research is conducted in state-of-the-art facilities with extensive computing and information science capabilities, which range from architectures and algorithms to advanced modeling and simulation.
Cyber Careers
Addressing sophisticated cyber threats demands a multidisciplinary team dedicated to protecting our government and infrastructure. Sandia's cybersecurity research careers offer challenging opportunities for those with a passion to tackle the complexities of protecting critical systems.
Cyber Threats
Cyber networks are all around us. We rely on them for communication, commerce, and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that control the electric grid, water distribution, and gas and oil pipelines. Attacks on these systems have become more sophisticated and adversaries have become more skilled, increasing the demand on cyber experts to protect vital national infrastructure. Sandia’s multi-disciplinary team employs the best and brightest to thwart cyberattacks.
Cyber Engineering Research Institute (CERI)
CERI is a virtual organization spanning Sandia’s two main sites. New Mexico's CERI facility — the Cyber Engineering Research Laboratory — is located in the Sandia Science & Technology Park. The California CERI facility — the Cybersecurity Technologies Research Laboratory — is located in the Livermore Valley Open Campus. CERI focuses on exploratory research in cybersecurity and facilitates partnerships with academia and industry in order to push the frontiers of science and grow the next generation of cybersecurity talent.
Center for Cyber Defenders
The Cyber Defender program creates a pipeline of qualified candidates in cybersecurity and protection to address homeland security needs. It gives computer science students practical experience in computer systems, network operations, and information protection. The program is comprised of undergraduate- through graduate-level interns. Opportunities are available for year-round and summer internships.
Videos
In the News
- Sandia builds self-contained, Android-based network to study cyber disruptions and help secure hand-held devices
- Sandia experts, students explore cyber issues during weeklong summer institute
- Cyber research facility opens at Sandia’s California site
- Cybersecurity technology, policy, law, and planning to be focus of Sandia Labs summer institute for top grad students
- Sandia cyber project looks to help IT professionals with complex Domain Name System vulnerabilities
* "Taking the Cyberattack Threat Seriously,” The Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2012