Operation 'Cyber Storm' Starts Tomorrow

cyberbian writes "Federal Computing Week reports that the Department of Homeland Security have moved up their rescheduled cyber security exercise, designed to test enterprise and private sector alike. The tests are expected to run from February 6-10, and are intended to gauge the state of readiness for a cyber attack on critical infrastructure. FCW also reports that the scope of the fake attacks will be global, and they are coordinating with partners in Australia, Canada and the UK."

Comments

I wonder

[andreMA]

How much damage they'll end up doing?

Re:I wonder

[TubeSteak]

And on this day... SkyNet is born.

It was a secret military project to create a defense system capable of protecting the nation.

But... It became sentient

Re:I wonder

[Zaiff Urgulbunger]

here is how it happened... The system needed to be updated, but the WSUS wouldn't update until the computer account was in the Admin container..... put the computer in the admin container... hmmm, now the computer is its own administrator! I just read that while studying for my MCSE Cert ;-) scary

Sooooo, what you're saying is, the computers end up taking over the world, seizing control of all our automated systems and in turn starting the third world war, AND, you're out of a job 'cos "the system" no longer needs an MCSE?!

Double-whammy! :D

Re:I wonder

[jalet]

Solving such a problem is easy : just tell your president to call Jack Bauer !

Re:I wonder

[bigbadwlf]

Eliza: What makes you think I'm trying to take over the world?

A good idea....

[Geekbot]

And then they discover they accidently broke the internet.

Re: A good idea....

[Alwin Henseler]

How would they know, when they couldn't read Slashdot reporting about it?

Re:A good idea....

[TubeSteak]

Give us a link to click... we'll make sure it stays broken.

How to parcipate...

[IAAP]

Go to work, turn your machine off, and say "I've voluteered to be someone who was hit by a virus that knocked my machine out of commission."

Then go home for a couple days!

WooHoo!

Thank Ford!

[paulthomas]

Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say on behalf of the internet community: Thank Ford for the Department of Homeland Security.

From TFA

[5plicer]

"IT-ISAC has eight members participating in the exercise, the center's Web site states. The participants are Cisco Systems, Citadel Security Software, CA (formerly Computer Associates), Computer Sciences Corp., Intel, Microsoft, Symantec and VeriSign."

In other words, little, if any.

Re:good job

[IAAP]

hopefully this will show people what needs to be done..

Clock out of work when the attack happens and go to the corner pub?

Time to Go Phishing

[Billosaur]

I can see it now...

FROM: cyberstorm@dohs.gov

TO: unlucky.recipient@yourcompany.com

SUBJECT: Participation in Cyber Storm exercise

Your company has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as potentially vulnerable to cyber attack. During the week of February 6th - February 10th, the DoHS will be testing cyber infrastructure as part of our Cyber Storm security exercise. In order to participate, you will need to supply us with [insert favorite hacking data here]...

Re:Time to Go Phishing

[LupeSpywalper]

It will be just another DoHS attack.

Cyber Storm?

[Winlin]

I thought for a minute there they were talking about IRC back in the late 90's. Now THERE was a storm of cybering for you. Not that I would..ummm...have any personal knowledge or anything.

And so it begins.

[cosmotron]

Now that Cyberdyne has been established, I wonder how much longer it will be until SkyNet is initialized?

Suggestions anyone?

[poind3xt3r]

As a precautionary measure, should I set fire to all my machines running XP???

Re:Post-Superbowl?

[rbochan]

Google willl probably get hits with umpteen bazillion searches for 'janet jackson tits' or 'destroying the moral fabric of america' or whatever debacle will occur this time...

Digg and Slashdot

[writermike]

So, they're just going to submit a bunch of web sites to Digg and Slashdot. Big Deal! :-)

Findings from their "Wargames"

[slashbob22]

"Mr. McKittrick, after very careful consideration, sir, I've come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks."

Re:Post-Superbowl?

[ToasterofDOOM]

Ewww ... Mick Jagger naked. I'm gonna go sit in a corner for the rest of the day now, silently crying to myself at the loss of whatever semblance of innocence I had left. If it actually happens, then I guess I'll implode.

Re:More worrisome threats

[winwar]

"damage caused by upper management and government meddling."

I think you are underestimating upper management. :)

Shouldn't they wait for the next Leap Day?

[EChris]

http://www.april-fools.us/internet-cleaning.htm

Original Message - 1996

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET FROM 12:01 AM GMT ON FEB. 29 TO 12:01 AM GMT, MARCH 1 !!

*** *** Attention ***

It's that time again!

As many of you know, each leap year the Internet must be shut down for 24 hours in order to allow us to clean it. The cleaning process, which
eliminates dead email and inactive ftp, www and gopher sites, allows for a better-working and faster Internet.

This year, the cleaning process will take place from 12:01 a.m. GMT on
Feb. 29 until 12:01 a.m. GMT on March 1. During that 24-hour period, five powerful Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will search the Internet and delete any data that they find.

In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do the following:

1. Disconnect all terminals and local area networks from their Internet
connections.

2. Shut down all Internet servers, or disconnect them from the Internet.

3. Disconnect all disks and hardrives from any connections to the Internet.

4. Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way.

We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet
users, and we apologize. However, we are certain that any
inconveniences will be more than made up for by the increased speed and efficiency of the Internet, once it has been cleared of electronic flotsam and jetsam. We thank you for your cooperation.

Kim Dereksen
Interconnected Network Maintenance staff
Main branch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sysops and others: Since the last Internet cleaning, the number of
Internet users has grown dramatically. Please assist us in alerting
the public of the upcoming Internet cleaning by posting this message
where your users will be able to read it. Please pass this message on to
other sysops and Internet users as well. Thank you.

Re:This sounds extremely logical

[Anonymous Coward]

This is like Microsoft checking its own code for security holes.

It only happens once every couple of years?