Cyber ShockWave
Encyclopedia
Cyber Storm Exercise
The Cyber Storm exercise was a simulated exercise overseen by the Department of Homeland Security that took place February 6 through February 10, 2006 with the purpose of testing the nations defenses against digital espionage...
, was a 4-hour wargame
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
conducted by the Washington, D.C. think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
Bipartisan Policy Center
Bipartisan Policy Center
The is a non-profit organization that "drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue." Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell, "BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking...
on February 16, 2010. Former high-ranking Cabinet and National Security Officials role played a cabinet level
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
response to a cyberwarfare scenario. Portions of the 12-hour exercise were later broadcast on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. GNN is the faux news network that "covered" the simulated cyber crisis.
Background
Cyberwarfare has become a major threat to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. There is current debate over whether cyberwarfare constitutes actual war or a rhetorical and less threatening concept instead. Control of the Internet has long been an issue of Internet security and electronic privacy.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics Corporation with over 8,000 employees in over 100 locations. Historically General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems has served customers within the U.S...
, SMobile Systems, Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...
and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. It was created by former CIA Director General Michael Hayden
Michael Hayden
Michael Vincent Hayden, is a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former Director of the National Security Agency and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center to give a glimpse of what would happen during a cyber attack and gauged whether or not the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was prepared for it. Security agents and lawmakers played roles in the fabricated attacks. The participants did not know the scenario in advance which helped to maintain the reality of a surprise attack. If a real attack were to happen it would come without notice and lawmakers and government agencies would have to re-act immediately in a timely manner.
To prepare for a possible attack, members of The White House, Cabinet Members and National Security Agencies
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
plan to advise President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on possible plans of actions.
Participants and roles
The list of attendees included:- Michael ChertoffMichael ChertoffMichael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
, former Secretary of Homeland Security, as National Security AdvisorNational Security Advisor (United States)The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues... - Fran Townsend, former White House Homeland Security Advisor, as Secretary of Homeland Security
- J. Bennett Johnston, former Senator (D-LA), as Secretary of Energy
- John NegroponteJohn NegroponteJohn Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...
, former United States Deputy Secretary of StateUnited States Deputy Secretary of StateThe Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was...
, as Secretary of StateSecretary of StateSecretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government.... - Jamie GorelickJamie GorelickJamie S. Gorelick is an American attorney, presently representing BP. She was Deputy Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration...
, former Deputy Attorney GeneralDeputy Attorney GeneralDeputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in a department of justice or of law, in various governments of the world. In those governments, the Deputy Attorney General oversees the day-to-day operation of the department, and may act as Attorney General during the absence of...
, as Attorney GeneralAttorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person... - Joe LockhartJoe LockhartJoseph Lockhart is a spokesman and communications consultant, best known for being the White House Press Secretary from October 5, 1998 to September 29, 2000, during the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton...
, former White House Press SecretaryWhite House Press SecretaryThe White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
, as Counselor to the PresidentCounselor to the PresidentThe Counselor to the President is the highest-ranking assistant to the President of the United States for communications, and a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. In the administration of George W. Bush, the Counselor oversaw the Communications, Media Affairs,...
, - John E. McLaughlinJohn E. McLaughlinJohn Edward McLaughlin is the former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and former Acting Director of Central Intelligence. McLaughlin is an accomplished magician and lectured on magic at the 2006 International Brotherhood of Magicians Annual Convention in Miami, Florida...
, former Acting Director of Central IntelligenceDirector of Central IntelligenceThe Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was the head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the principal intelligence advisor to the President and the National Security Council, and the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various United...
, as Director of National Intelligence - Stephen FriedmanStephen Friedman (PFIAB)Stephen Friedman is the former Chairman of the United States President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He was nominated on October 27, 2005 to replace Brent Scowcroft in the position.-Life and career:...
, former Director of the National Economic Council, as Secretary of Treasury - Stewart BakerStewart bakerStewart Abercrombie Baker was the first Assistant Secretary for Policy at the United States Department of Homeland Security under the Presidency of George W...
, National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
General CounselGeneral CounselA general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
, as Cyber Coordinator - Charles Wald, former Deputy Commander of U.S. European Command, as Secretary of Defense
Simulation attack
One of the simulation attacks that was presented was a Malware program planted into phones during a popular basketball game. This attack caused a disruption spanning over many mobile phones across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The spyware
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
planted on to the smartphones were used through a key logger and data intercepts to funnel funds to banks overseas. Several bots appear downloading videos that shows 'The Red Army.' When someone receives the Spyware
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
, it is sent to the person's contact and the contacts will open it, spreading the malicious virus everywhere.
In addition, the Cyber attack reportedly sparked a series of crises and provisions including:
- 40 million people without power in the Eastern United StatesEastern United StatesThe Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
- More than 60 million cellphones out of service
- Wall StreetWall StreetWall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
closed for a week - Capitol Hill leaders en route to the White House
Results
The results of the Cyber ShockWave war game showed that the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is unprepared for a cyber attack. The results highlighted the immediate dangers that are threatening the country. Finally, the game demonstrates there would be huge financial repercussions to a cyber attack.
The simulation revealed that the response speed is crucial during a cyber attack and that the planning deficiency in which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
exhibited during the game can be extremely costly. The simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
also showed that the fast speed of an attack leaves little time to better understand certain things such as the essence of the attack, provided it were to happen, or proper recovery methods. Former Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
press secretary Joe Lockhart
Joe Lockhart
Joseph Lockhart is a spokesman and communications consultant, best known for being the White House Press Secretary from October 5, 1998 to September 29, 2000, during the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton...
added that the simulation Shockwave may cause a panic among people but it's in fact a good thing.
According to Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
the United States lacks in several key aspects of Cyber security:
- Well-defined responsibilities for maintaining common situational awareness of emerging critical operational developments in cyberspace
- An effective decision-making framework below the Cabinet level for coordinating the government's response and recovery from a devastating cyber event.
- A user-friendly process to allow government cyber defenders to effectively collaborate with the private sector to take advantage of their expertise and knowledge during the response to a cyberattack
See also
- Cyber Storm ExerciseCyber Storm ExerciseThe Cyber Storm exercise was a simulated exercise overseen by the Department of Homeland Security that took place February 6 through February 10, 2006 with the purpose of testing the nations defenses against digital espionage...
- Cyber Storm IICyber Storm IICyber Storm II was an international cyber security exercise sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2008. The week long exercise was centered in Washington, DC and concluded on March 15....
- National Strategy to Secure CyberspaceNational Strategy to Secure CyberspaceIn the United States government, the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, is a component of the larger National Strategy for Homeland Security. The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace was drafted by the Department of Homeland Security in reaction to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks...