http://politics.theatlantic.com/author/marc_ambinder_1/
(3rd item on link)
Feb 10 2010, 1:59 pm by Marc Ambinder
<http://politics.theatlantic.com/author/marc_ambinder_1/>
U.S. To Be Hit By Massive Cyber Attack On Feb. 16. Asterisk.
On February 16, at about 10:00 am ET, the U.S. will be hit by a massive,
crippling cyber attack from an unknown entity. Key players will convene
in the White House situation room and plan the response, from mitigation
to (possibly) retaliation. It'll be live on television -- G.N.N.
Of course, my knowledge of this attack will not add me to the radar
screens of the FBI -- they know about it too. The reason I felt
compelled to write a pseudo-serious lead to this post is because, for
the first time, a cyber attack is going to be war-gamed, in public, for
all the country to see. It will be quite realistic, featuring senior
intelligence and national security officials, including former directors
of intelligence agencies and combatant commands and homeland security
advisers. A production company has been hired to re-create a White House
Sit Room in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and professional scriptwriters
have been working with experts to create a real-life scenario.
The sponsors of the event
<http://bipartisanpolicy.org/events/cyber2010>include companies with
financial stakes in the future of cyber defense -- General Dynamics is
one -- but also companies whose transactions are the lifeblood to the
American economy, and who want to foster a greater sense of urgency
among the public and policymakers. (PayPal has joined as a sponsor.)
Actual participants don't know what's going to happen. I have a general
idea, but I have been sworn to keep the scenario a secret until it
unfolds. It will be, I can say, dynamic -- runners with cards will enter
the "Sit Room" with new information. It is not obvious. And it will not
be easy to mitigate.
At the end, participants will step out of their roles for a hotwash --
open to the press and the experts.
At least three times this year, the U.S. government has held private
versions of cyber wargames. This will be open to the press. CNN has
agreed to record the event for broadcast later in the week.
Participants include John Negroponte, the first DNI, who will be the
fictional Secretary of State. (Intel insiders will enjoy this role
change.) Ex-DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff will be the National
Security Adviser. Fran Townsend, the former White House Homeland
Security Adviser, will be the secretary of DHS. Former CIA deputy
director John McLaughlin will be the Director of National Intelligence.
Other big-name participants include Jamie Gorelick, Stewart Baker, Joe
Lockhart and Bennet Johnson.
The Bipartisan Policy Center, which has ported over the 9/11 Commission
co-chairs, Lee Hamilton and Tom Keane, is coordinating the event.
_______________________________________________
Futurework mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
