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Operation 'Cyber Storm' Starts Tomorrow

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the are-you-ready-for-fun-and-excitement dept.

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."

10 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. good job by joe+155 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm glad that they are doing something like this, in the UK people have been estimating that "in the city" only around 50% of companies are anything like prepaired for an attack of this nature, hopefully this will show people what needs to be done...

    I hope no real attacks take place during this time though...

    --
    *''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
    1. Re:good job by IAAP · · Score: 5, Funny
      hopefully this will show people what needs to be done..

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

  2. How to parcipate... by IAAP · · Score: 5, Funny
    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!

  3. Re:I wonder by alexmipego · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The perfect time to hackers attack. In the middle of the "fake" attacks they can really attack and steal some data. It would be hard to spot. Are they doing this tests in a global way but to their structures only (UK and North America) or are they testing random sites all over the world?

  4. Damage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Last time i saw something like this, our 'organizataion' was tested.

    They caused more damage to us with childhood tactics ( like locking out system accounts ) than doing 'real' tests. We were screwed for a week trying to undo damage, and trying to figure out how it was happening again and again.

    Posting anonymously for obvious reasons.

  5. More worrisome threats by OpenGLFan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm a lot more worried about the damage caused by the "Tiered Internet" proposals currently being bandied about. All network admins know that the damage caused by attackers is insignificant compared to the damage caused by upper management and government meddling.

  6. Re:Wait a minute by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not communism, but capitalist oligarchism. "Enterprise sector" is the Fortune 500 that can buy politicians to manipulate the market to their ends. "Private sector" is everyone else, competing on an increasingly tilted playing field. Hope this clears things up.

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  7. Goverments can't hack it by hutchike · · Score: 5, Insightful
    What makes the government(s) think their fake attack will be anything like a genuine attach? For example, the UK government has a long and famous history of botching every computer initiative (e.g. UK tax credit theft via gov web site).

    I doubt the Department of Homeland Security has anything like a globally distributed botnet, or permission to run DDoS like a real attacker might. The virus attack on the Russian stock market is not something goverments can replicate.

    The only winners will be the companies who sell the extra bandwidth!

    --
    Zen tips: Pay attention. Don't take it personally. Believe nothing.
  8. Re:I wonder by jalet · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    --
    Votez ecolo : Chiez dans l'urne !
  9. Shouldn't they wait for the next Leap Day? by EChris · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.