Local 12 News reported the Ohio Cyber Range Institute at the University of Cincinnati recently received $227,000 from the Ohio Controlling Board. That funding was announced by State Rep. Cecil Thomas.
"This investment will help strengthen Ohio's cybersecurity infrastructure while also preparing students and professionals for careers in a rapidly growing field," Thomas said in a statement to Local 12.
The OCRI manages the Ohio Cyber Range on behalf of the state. It is a statewide, collaborative network that supports cybersecurity programs across Ohio. The institute's goal is to advance an integrated approach to cybersecurity education, workforce, and economic development in cyber-related fields throughout the state through 19 regional programming centers. It is housed at UC Digital Futures, provides training to help organizations throughout Ohio prepare for and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
In Sept. 2024, the OCRI received $6.5 million in capital funds from the state of Ohio.
Rebekah Michael, OCRI executive staff director, compares the cyber range to a virtual gun range but for cybersecurity. Participants write malware, simulate attacks on cities and servers so that people can be trained on how to thwart the attacks, she adds.
"And so, it requires a whole lot of hardware to support all of our state partners and so all of that is wrapped into our capital funding," explains Michael.
Students at OCRI's annual statewide Capture the Flag (CTF) competition held back in April. Photo provided.
OCRI also uses funds to support training cybersecurity skills for K-12 students for summer campus, afterschool cyber clubs and other events that encourage young people with an interest in cybersecurity, explains Michael.
A good example is OCRI hosted its annual statewide Capture the Flag (CTF) competition back in April. The event involved 68 teams with 226 students across Ohio who participated in the event. It gave students the opportunity to deepen their cybersecurity skills while competing in hands-on cyber challenges for a coordinated day of learning.
"The nature of the internet and our networked world is that we are all connected together and anytime that there is a threat to one of us, it's a threat to all of us," says Michael.
"So for the everyday user, when we are bombarded by all of this information very quickly, you know, via email, or text message, or QR codes, or whatever we're doing, whether we're ordering food or we're answering our boss's email, we could be given information that is from a bad actor.
"It can look very much like the real world, and a real, legitimate email or text or QR code, but if we click on that, we can then open the door to malware being installed on our phones, or on our devices, and that can then quickly spread, through everyone that we're networked with," adds Michael.
She says that dollars lost to cybercrime would be considered the third largest GDP in the world, if it were attributed to a country.
"All of the illegal drug money in the world that is being exchanged is not anywhere near the amount of money that's being exchanged on data brokerage and cybersecurity, threats that we have now," says Michael.
View the Local 12 News story online.
Featured top image of a student at OCRI's annual statewide Capture the Flag (CTF) competition. Photo provided.
