Simulated Hack To Test US Government Response

superapecommando writes "Security industry analysts and lawmakers will get an unprecedented chance next week to evaluate how the government might respond to a hack attack on critical infrastructure targets. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based non-profit established in 2007 by several lawmakers, will host a simulated nation-wide cyber-attack next Tuesday for a group of former administration and national security officials, who will be playing the roles of Cabinet members."

Comments

how will they know?

[Anonymous Coward]

Security industry analysts and lawmakers will get an unprecedented chance next week to evaluate how the government might respond to a hack attack on critical infrastructure targets

Have they been notified? And how is it a simulation if they are or how will they know how to respond or detect it even?

If I imagine this to happen here, to a global bank, this has been a real scenario:

"How did they get those data?"
"Appearantly all our clients have been leaked"
"Oh shits, heads gonna roll! Call serverteam!!"
*Perform security audit, fire 3rd party solution creators, creating a hole through carelessness.*

Now, if you would do a "large scale test", it will in my experience go like this:
:
"Agents complain of slow access, what is up?"
"It's lunchbreak, people are surfing, let them know we're checking it out."
"Agents are still complaining, we have some error logs coming in from website users."
"Ok, lets contact servermaintenance, request a logfile."
"Server maintenance here, we're swamped with requests, I can send it to you tomorrow or the day after soonest."
"We need a stat on the server, things are slow"
"CPU is looking ok, memory is reasonable. Must be some configuration on your side, wait for the logs. Tmorrow."
"Oh, nvm it cleared up. Guess we got a pusblished article in the papers drawing in more folks. Applause for sales. Close the ticket."

Re:Chinese Sub

[GooberToo]

sub managed to bypass their sensors.

That's actually easy to do and the expected result for a stationary object resting near or on the bottom. Things that don't don't move and don't make noise are really hard to find. This is especially true where multiple thermoclines exist. Of course, that's also why its not the least bit embarrassing for the US Navy because for it to have any real meaning, the Chinese would have to know where the US Navy would be before hand, during a state of war.

The picture is even more bleak for trying to locate modern diesel subs when operating in their own backyard. These days diesel subs are extremely quiet. And this is exactly why the Navy has been working hard to increase its sonar capabilities. Congress has been pushing back on funding and environmental concerns but as I originally said, I'm sure the Navy will use this to help bolster their position.