CIA Overseeing 3-Day War Game on Internet

[ElsewheresDaughter]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050525/ap_on_hi_te/internet_terror/nc:716

WASHINGTON — The CIA is conducting a war game this week to simulate an unprecedented, Sept. 11-like electronic assault against the United States. The three-day exercise, known as "Silent Horizon," is meant to test the ability of government and industry to respond to escalating Internet disruptions over many months, according to participants.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because the CIA asked them not to disclose details of the sensitive exercise taking place in Charlottesville, Va., about two hours southwest of Washington.

The simulated attacks were carried out five years in the future by a fictional new alliance of anti-American organizations that included anti-globalization hackers. The most serious damage was expected to be inflicted in the closing hours of the war game Thursday.

The national security simulation was significant because its premise — a devastating cyberattack that affects government and parts of the economy on the scale of the 2001 suicide hijackings — contradicts assurances by U.S. counterterrorism experts that such effects from a cyberattack are highly unlikely.

"You hear less and less about the digital Pearl Harbor," said Dennis McGrath, who has helped run three similar exercises for the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College. "What people call cyberterrorism, it's just not at the top of the list."

The CIA's little-known Information Operations Center, which evaluates threats to U.S. computer systems from foreign governments, criminal organizations and hackers, was running the war game. About 75 people, mostly from the CIA, along with other current and former U.S. officials, gathered in conference rooms and pretended to react to signs of mock computer attacks

[Trillo]

1. Too bad it's not a 3-day War Game defending the Constitution for the U.S.

It seems like that could use a LOT of defense, these days.

How about a 3-day War Game defending the people's Fourth Amendment?

Or, How about a 3-day War Game defending the people's Paper Ballots?

[sarcasmo]

4. That will come when Martial Law is declared after the next Terra attack.

[Us vs Them]

2. Does anyone else see them shutting down the internet in the future

and then blaming it on 'terrorists?'

[femme.democratique]

5. Duh, they wouldn't be doing this if they weren't planning to use it

safe to say we will soon be subject to a debilatating "cyberterra" attack.

[drduffy]

9. This was

simply practice. They are figuring out the best way to screw the internet and cut off communication between we, the members of the opposition.

[maddezmom]

3. please edit link, not working

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050526/ap_on_hi_te/internet_terror_9

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. fixed link here...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050526/ap_on_hi_te/internet_terror

[thebigidea]

6. in what sense would an internet attack be "Sept. 11-like?"

I'd say those couple of thousand dead people would've vastly preffered having their office network down for a day or two.

[htuttle]

7. Sept 11th-like in the financial sense

That's how they see the world, you know.

The market lost hundreds of points that week, and declined for some time thereafter. A real tragedy!

[LifeDuringWartime]

8. if electrical systems are affected

hospitals and 911-relay centers could be at risk. and if the actual data systems within those facilities were affected, who knows what could happen.

[thebigidea]

11. electrical grids are controlled via internet?

why?

[bpilgrim]

12. cheaper -> then you factor in our dangerous super clustering round M$

ain't that always the reason ;->

usually there is more security than that, though i.e. a private, hardened network, but if it's network has access to the web and that would be all a hacker might need to connect.

peace

[DrDebug]

23. And the internet isn't as reliable as a private network

I remember that on September 11 the news site couldn't be reached anymore, because too many people tried to go there all of a sudden. It wasn't until CNN decided to reduce their site to one page that it finally showed up again, but terribly slow.

So that means that if there is going to be an emergency you can be pretty sure that parts of the internet will be either incredibly slow or sumply unreachable because of too much traffic.

Smart move :thumbsup:

[bpilgrim]

24. it was still running, though...

and thats the point.

smaller private networks are easier to TAKE OUT.

peace

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. Anyone read "Ender's Game"?

Don't play any "Marines versus Iranians" games online, 'kay? ;-)

[Ian David]

13. For a real test, they should have invited all hackers to take them on

If they really thought they could take the heat, they would have sent a letter to 2600 Magazine and said, "Bring it on!"

[ElsewheresDaughter]

15. fixed link link to AP article here.....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050526/ap_on_hi_te/internet_terror

[Up2Late]

16. CIA Overseeing 3-Day War Game on Internet (AP)

CIA Overseeing 3-Day War Game on Internet

By TED BRIDIS
AP Technology Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The CIA is conducting a secretive war game, dubbed "Silent Horizon," this week to practice defending against an electronic assault on the same scale as the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks.

The three-day exercise, ending Thursday, was meant to test the ability of government and industry to respond to escalating Internet disruptions over many months, according to participants. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the CIA asked them not to disclose details of the sensitive exercise taking place in Charlottesville, Va., about two hours southwest of Washington.

The simulated attacks were carried out five years in the future by a fictional alliance of anti-American organizations, including anti-globalization hackers. The most serious damage was expected to be inflicted in the war game's closing hours.

The national security simulation was significant because its premise - a devastating cyberattack that affects government and parts of the economy with the same magnitude as the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings - contravenes assurances by U.S. counterterrorism experts that such far-reaching effects from a cyberattack are highly unlikely. Previous government simulations have modeled damage from cyberattacks more narrowly.

(more at link above)

[autorank]

17. Is that what's going on in Elections?

I'm just sayin' ... it can look like a cyber war in there when "the visitors" show up (LOL).

:shrug:

[DrDebug]

18. The combination exercise / game / 9/11 is not a good combination

Just like the "game" of crashing jets into building
An exercise performed on a certain day

[Melynn]

19. I wonder if the powers to be know something

like when and how the next terrorist attack is going to happen. I tend to get suspicious about stuff like this.

[ticapnews]

20. Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?

[sce56]

21. Make sure this get archived somewhere

Well need the proof after they do it for real next terror attack needs to be looked at with less awe and greater suspicion of who is really behind it!



http://www.911wasalie.com/phpwebsite/







http://www.911inplanesite.com

[whatelseisnew]

22. Anti-American = anti globalization? (n/t)

[bunny planet]

25. I hope someone saved and printed the article. It's already been

removed and sanitized from Yahoo site. Hmmmmmmm?