The private sector owns more than three-quarters of the country’s critical infrastructure. A large-scale, successful, coordinated attack could cripple the country's economy. A cyberattack can originate in one country and pass through several others before reaching its target.
That dark side of cyberspace is the backdrop for this week’s Cyber Storm II exercise, the Homeland Security Department’s second massive cyber war game, which kicked off today will be played this week in Washington and virtually worldwide.
Players in the multimillion-dollar exercise include nine states, four foreign governments, 18 federal agencies and 40 private companies that work in information technology, telecommunications, chemicals, and pipe and rail transportation infrastructure. Officials say the main success of the $6.4 million exercise thus far has been building relationships during the 18-month planning process.
“One of the biggest lessons learned, or success stories from the exercise planning process itself, is the relationships and the trust that’s built among these different companies and these different agencies and the international community,” said Cheri McGuire, acting director of DHS’ National Cyber Security Division, who led planning for the exercise. “If you haven’t tested those things ahead of time, when you have some kind of event, when you need to have those relationships and those communication paths in place, oftentimes they are not there.”
And with cyberattacks on the rise, the question is less about what to do if an attack happens and more about what to do when one occurs.
Throughout this week, participants will be purposely overloaded with problems.
McGuire said that although the event focuses on response she believes that the relationships formed will also benefit prevention and preparedness efforts.
“This exercise is…a response exercise, but as part of that, continuous improvement for responding you also gain efficiencies for prevention and protection and preparedness, so it’s really that full spectrum,” she said.
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