The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced Friday the successful completion of a biannual simulated cyberattack aimed at preparing the U.S. and its partners to defend against a real attack on critical systems.
The three-day exercise, known as “Cyber Storm,” involved 2,000 participants from the fields of private industry, the federal government and international groups, and was described by CISA as the most extensive cybersecurity exercise in the United States.
CISA Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security Brian Harrell told reporters Friday following the end of the simulation that it was important to simulate a debilitating attack to increase coordination between all the potential groups, all of whom worked together remotely from their homes or places of work during the exercise.
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“We’re more connected than ever, which means our nation’s critical infrastructure faces increased risks from cyber-attacks,” Harrell said in a statement. “No one company or government agency can be expected to go it alone, which is why exercises like Cyber Storm bring everyone together to discuss and exercise how we would respond collectively to a cyber-attack. Each Cyber Storm our coordination and capabilities get better, and this year was no different.”
He told reporters that the simulation — which mimics potential attacks on critical systems but does not actually attack or disrupt these systems — involved an “all out attack on different sectors” that was modeled on the capabilities of real-world adversaries.
“Now is the time to exercise under blue sky conditions, you don’t want to exchange business cards during a hurricane,” Harrell told reporters. “The Cyber Storm exercise elements represented actual and potential risks and attacks were made to be as realistic as possible.”
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