Bethesda, Md. – SANS Institute, the global leader in cyber security training, today announced that Michael J. Assante has been named the recipient of the SANS Industrial Control System (ICS) Lifetime Achievement Award. A pioneer in ICS Cyber Security, Assante has made exceptional contributions to the long-term security of ICS on an international scale.
"Michael's work in ICS security has helped bring attention to an area that was largely unaddressed, despite its potential to affect critical infrastructure, human life and safety. It is an honor to work with Michael and witness his dedication and passion to ICS security. I can't think of anyone more deserving for this award," said Alan Paller, Director of Research, SANS Institute.
Assante is the SANS lead for Industrial Control System (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) security. He also serves as the Director of Industrials and Infrastructure at SANS Institute. As a Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Strategic Technologies Program, Assante authors papers and provides views on policy issues.
He worked with SANS Institute to establish the SANS ICS and SCADA Security Summit which is now in its 13th year. Previously Assante served as Vice President and CSO at American Electric Power, engaged in research to include the Idaho National Laboratory vulnerability of electric generators to destruction through remote cyber attack, and served as the first CSO at NERC. Government, intelligence, and military organizations have also relied on his leadership and counsel for more than 20 years. He has testified before the US Senate and House and was an initial member of the Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency.
About The SANS ICS Lifetime Achievement Award
The SANS ICS Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have contributed exceptional efforts to enhance the security of ICS on an international scale, and who actively strive to bridge the gap between IT and OT. Through education contributions to the community, they've significantly increased the awareness of risks to ICS and fostered the idea that cyber secure ICS implementations and defense in ICS are achievable.
For more information on The SANS ICS Lifetime Achievement Award, please visit: https://ics.sans.org/awards/ics-lifetime-achievement-award
About SANS Institute
The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Today, SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cyber security training and certification to professionals in government and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach more than 60 courses at in-person and virtual cyber security training events and on demand. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates practitioner skills through more than 35 hands-on, technical certifications in cyber security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers a master’s degree, graduate certificates, and an undergraduate certificate in cyber security. SANS Security Awareness, a division of SANS, provides organizations with a complete and comprehensive security awareness solution, enabling them to easily and effectively manage their ‘human’ cybersecurity risk. SANS also delivers a wide variety of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, webcasts, podcasts, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system–the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to support and educate the global information security community. (https://www.sans.org)