CyManII returns to Corpus Christi as critical infrastructure cybersecurity work continues
After bringing critical infrastructure cybersecurity training to Corpus Christi earlier this year, the work in South Texas was not over yet. On October 7, the Cybersecurity Manufacturing and Innovation Institute (CyManII) returned to Del Mar College for another Cyber Resilience Exercise.
The exercise continued CyManII’s effort to help Texas communities prepare for cyber threats before they become real-world disruptions. The training brought together technical teams and organizational leaders for hands-on exercises focused on protecting operational technology (OT), industrial control systems and other critical infrastructure.
The return to Corpus Christi built on the institute’s February training, when participants from energy, manufacturing, government and other sectors worked through simulated cyberattacks and practiced incident response, containment and recovery strategies. That exercise was part of CyManII’s broader nationwide effort to strengthen cybersecurity through community-wide training.
“Critical infrastructure remains a target for cyberattacks, making continued training and preparedness essential,” said Ed McCormick, Executive Director of Ecosystem at CyManII. “CyManII brings communities together to practice responding to simulated threats, so they are better prepared when real attacks occur.”
The focus of this exercise was continued technical team training and a live Cyber Range exercise. Participants worked through simulated threats designed to replicate attacks against OT and industrial control systems, giving them an opportunity to practice technical response in a controlled environment.
“[CyManII has] a great test environment, and the scenario was great,” said Jason Hays, Real Time Systems & Technology Manager at AEP. “It’s hard to find an opportunity like this outside of the live environment.”
The training was held at Del Mar College’s Heritage Campus at the William F. White Jr. Library.
“It’s hard to train for the stress of the moment,” said Michael Benavides, Senior ICS Information Security Analyst at Cheniere Energy. “But these events help prepare you to be confident in the face of threats.”
The return to Corpus Christi reinforced CyManII’s “Secure Together” approach to cybersecurity: bringing communities, organizations and critical infrastructure stakeholders together to build resilience before an attack occurs.
“The training that CyManII provides is a critical factor in keeping our community secure,” said Darcy Shaw, Cyber Center Program Manager at Del Mar College. “It’s an exceptional opportunity for our regional industry partners to meet and learn with each other; it makes us all stronger.”
