US tests its cyber defences

The USA has begun a test of its cyber defences, assessing how government departments and organisations including banks and power suppliers would react in the event of a web-based attack.

Thousands of participants are involved in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Storm III, a three-day exercise simulating a large-scale cyber attack on the US’.

“Securing America’s cyber infrastructure requires close coordination with our federal, state, international and private sector partners,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “Exercises like Cyber Storm III allow us build upon the significant progress we’ve made in responding to evolving cyber threats.”

The goal of the test is to determine and strengthen the country’s preparedness for such an attack.

Cyber Storm III involves seven government departments, 11 American states, 60 private sector companies across sectors including banking, water, power and IT, and other countries including the UK.

Earlier this year, Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky told PCR the current state of cyber attacks was “like a civil war on the internet”. “Now the situation is very dangerous. The global economy depends on the internet,” he said.