Cybersecurity: Idaho is Protecting the Data Systems that Make Life Comfortable

Published November 24, 2025 at 9:17 AM MST

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This month’s guests describe the threats to the sometimes invisible systems that make our lives comfortable. The electrical grid, transportation systems, water and sewage treatment systems, gas pipelines, and most factory manufacturing systems are run by complex computer controllers. Have you ever considered what happens if someone “hacks” the system? What would happen if our electrical grid or rail lines were suddenly disrupted or shut down for a few days? ISU is home to one of the nation’s first and oldest training centers to protect the U.S. industrial cyber infrastructure. Join us as we learn about current threats and how ISU students are ready to protect against them.

Guests:

Dr. Sean McBride is the Director of Idaho State University’s Informatics Research Institute, where he coordinates ISU’s cybersecurity offerings and prepares students for cybersecurity careers in critical infrastructure and the federal government. Sean brings to bear a combination of professional experience and academic knowledge at the confluence of cybersecurity, industrial control systems, threat intelligence, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

Jack Hall is a 2023 graduate of ISU's Cyber-Physical Systems program. After graduating, Jack interned in the Idaho National Laboratory's Cyber Core group. He currently works as a Cybersecurity Researcher on projects sponsored by the National Institute of Technology and the Department of Homeland Security. In his spare time, Jack enjoys time with family, reading, exercise, and being outdoors.

Hector Flores is a student at Idaho State University’s College of Technology, pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Cybersecurity. He also serves as a Student Ambassador and Lab Assistant at ESTEC, where he helps build training equipment for student labs. His goal is to build a career securing and advancing modern industrial infrastructure.