DHS Works with Partners Across the Country and Around the World to Assess the Nation's Cyber Incident Response Capabilities
Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the
beginning of Cyber Storm III—a three-day long, DHS-sponsored exercise that
brings together a diverse cross-section of the nation’s cyber incident
responders to assess U.S. cyber response capabilities.
“Securing
America's cyber infrastructure requires close coordination with our federal,
state, international and private sector partners,” said Secretary Napolitano.
“Exercises like Cyber Storm III allow us build upon the significant progress
we’ve made in responding to evolving cyber threats.”
Cyber
Storm III is an exercise scenario that simulates a large-scale cyber attack on
critical infrastructure across the nation. The goal of the exercise is to
examine and strengthen collective cyber preparedness and response capabilities,
involving thousands of participants across government and industry.
As
part of Cyber Storm III, DHS will exercise elements of the newly-developed
National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP)—a blueprint for the Nation’s
cybersecurity incident response.
Cyber
Storm III participants include:
Administration-Wide—Seven
Cabinet-level departments including Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland
Security, Justice, Transportation and Treasury, in addition to the White House
and representatives from the intelligence and law enforcement communities.
Eleven
States—California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North
Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, as well as the Multi-State
Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC).
12
International Partners—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United
Kingdom.
60
Private Sector Companies—DHS worked with representatives from the Banking and
Finance, Chemical, Communications, Dams, Defense Industrial Base, Information
Technology, Nuclear, Transportation, and Water Sectors, as well as the
corresponding Sector Coordinating Councils and ISACs, to identify private
sector participants.
Cyber
Storm III also represents the first major exercise testing the new National
Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC)—which serves as the
hub of national cybersecurity coordination and was established in October of
2009.
For
more information on Cyber Storm III, please visit:
www.dhs.gov/files/training/gc_1204738275985.shtm.
For
more information on the progress DHS has made in strengthening cyber
preparedness and response capabilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/defending-against-cyber-attacks-september-2010.pdf