US holds largest ever simulated cyber-attack exercise

What are you missing?!? Apparently half your nervous system, if you can't feel Big Brother's hot breath breathing down your neck... The MIB will call on you shortly. They're from the government, and they're here to help you. Resistance is futile, assimilation is imminent.

LOL. I wondered how long it would take somebody to suggest what I was missing ! It's the bits that are left y'all need to worry about.

It took me no time at all from the time I first read that post.

Of course there were a couple of days delay while I consumed mass quantities of beer and corned beef with potaoes in preparation for today's celebrations. Fortunately we habituate a genuine Irish Pub with gen-yoo-wine Irish beer available on tap, so tonight may become summat fuzzy in retrospect...

I shall offer up my Irish maternal Grandfather's favorite toast, (tune ears to a broad Irish brogue for this) to wit:

Here's to those that love us, then, and may they always love us. And here's to those that don't love us, and may the Good Lord see fit to turn their hearts. But if He canna turn their hearts, then may He see fit to turn their ankles, so's we'll know 'em by their limpin' as they come down the road toward us.

[clink]

I'll drink to that ! I completely forgot about St Patricks day. Spuds are great for soaking up copious ammonts of beer. Somebody told me that.

Probably the man who wanted to sell you the spuds. For my part, I'm pretty good at soaking up copious amounts as well. Didn't do bad last night, and the toast went over well with the crowd! Wot's this about forgetting St. Paddy's Day? Communist!

I blame all the confusion over the date. In mitigation, I did describe how to make green eggs in the 'what did you eat...' thread.

So what do you want - a green egg in your beer? OK, so did you at least celebrate early on the 15^th then? 'Fess up...

......yeah, I take no chances. You never know when a saints day nay be going on. Hic.

Well, I see 28 January is still open...if the open dates average 1/month, then we clearly have an overabundance of saints. Perhaps it's time for them to go marching in...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErUrPXt31vo

Nice tribute by Duke, but why two vids, why two vids ? There's an awful long list of saints to go marching.

"...why two vids, why two vids ?..."

Why ask twice, why ask twice? You have two eyes, have you not? One vid for each, of course! One the Satchmo classic, one a more modern cover. What's the problem, what's the problem? Are you seeing ddoouubbllee?? The nurse will administer a high colonic using seltzer water. That should change the way you see things...

I'd much prefer a coffee colonic (sans grits). That way I can enjoy my morning coffee whilst smoking at the same time. It just doesn't work the other way around. My experiment with simultaneously drinking coffee and munching toast was a total disaster.

I can well imagine...how'd you get the toast up there, anyway?

Say, how'd we get from "largest ever simulated cyber-attack" to this, for cryin' out loud?!? This is one sorely twisted thread. I don't see how it can ever be woven into a sensible commentary...

.......In a really gross sort of way it could be done......The Einstein program sort of sits and monitors traffic flow, looking for patterns that don't fit the norm. oooh, I could get bad with colonic comparison. I don't fully get the explanation given - telephone and banking companies monitor service usage to detect fraud, whats so different with Einstein ? I'm sure it's probably good, but the explanation was lacking. It's funny how many hacking terms such as 'worm' and 'back-door' relate to colonic. No, no , no ! I will stop myself. I wonder if any counter-measures such as Einstein use the principle of bait - leaving a file on the system that would look attractive to a bot* and monitoring it in a stealth sort of way. OK, so security can monitor files and sub-systems, but perhaps there are different methods, comparable to a shop security system - big bells + uniformed guards versus undercover detectives in plain clothes. I have no idea, and I don't imagine the clever folks who design security software would explain in much detail. I'm still trying to figure how copy-protection works on CD's - I wanted to make a back-up copy of a games disc my son has, but have not seen any method of doing so. A brief read mentioned 'copy-blind', though I haven't spent time looking further yet. Going back to the question theme, knowing that a file had been read would presumably be useful in security generally.

The word crept in innocently, I swear it ! Major attacks would be run by bots, and there are some scary statistics on how many bots are out there. It's not even necassary to infiltrate somebodys computer systems - mounting a DOS attack and sealing their doors from either side would satisfy many objectives.

I have a wirehead friend who swears that any CD or DVD can be copied, despite any anti-copy measures put in place. If I have an opportunity, I shall make inquiries.

Concur that the security folks would never tell tales out of school, would be counter to their intelligence. But you made an interesting point - where security measures are in place, an attack itself, if ferocious enough, concerted, and continuous, would be sufficient to tie up all their resources. The virus/worm/trojan horse/etc. would not have to gain access to shut off useful work, all it has to do is cause the barricades to be manned constantly and completely.

Wonder if any bad guys have thought of that? Hope none of them get the notion here...

I have no idea how, but we are almost on-topic ! Somewhere in admin-land a chair will creak, and a coffee cup will crumple ! ROFL

OK, so it's like this in my view. This isn't anything some half-wit couldn't think of, hence I'll discuss. How easily could you cause chaos in a society ? Very easily. A 21st century war (probably true of others) is about causing disruption to your target. People who wage terrorist war want headlines, so they want the dramatic, and they ignore things that don't give them the PR they crave. The same tactics can be used in war - it's not headline-grabbing, and it doesn't carry glamorous comparisons such as a Che Guevara poster on a bed-sit wall, but it would be effective. A disenchanted generation of young people carry out atrocious acts because they lack identity. To be seen as a hero of cause is the aspiration. Nothing said in general terms here will change that - the serious minded will pursue hi-tech ways of getting attention for it's PR value, and the rest will be used as cannon-fodder. Whilst they attack hi-tech targets in hi-tech ways they can be targeted and found. I trust our security forces to tackle it the best way they can, but if the finks start targeting low-grade stuff it's a problem. Causing civil disruption is an easy way to achieve a goal, and it can be done with stuff lying around any household. Like you said, it isn't about scoring goals, it's about keeping people running around. They stop when they realize it has direct repercussions. My analogy would be addiction - the perceive 'plus' of continuing outweighs the 'negative' of continuing.

O!M!G! - You're right, we ARE on-topic! How very unusual...hope nobody notices.

Many years ago I read a science fiction story about a group of guerillas who were the 'good guys' in a fight against superior forces. The tactic of choice was to irritate and distract. Name of the group and book was "Wasp", so called because of the story told as to why and how their tactic was chosen. Six big men were driving in an automobile. A wasp got in an open window, and flying around, so distracted the men that they crashed with no survivors (except that wasp). The wasp didn't have to sting anyone, the mere threat was sufficient to destroy six beings each more than a million times the size of their supposed adversary. The remainder of the story was about the wasp-like activities of the guerilla group. There are significant parallels to the present situation. Seems to me, the US and the UK have been the leaders of the group of targets, with Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and a few others bringing up the rear echelon. I much doubt this Bin Laden critter has given sufficient thought to how he would rule the world, he may not even really have that on his agenda. But it does seem that there are forces afoot that do have world dominion on their collective minds. Quick Henry, the Flit!

You're quite right, of course. Howsabout custard ? Well if the bad guys ever take over, they won't have much in the agenda I don't think. I s'pose they could make us all dress the same or something, but at the end of the day we could still muse about the good old days of custard. When you see two kids arguing over who gets which cup, it's best just to arbitrarily give it to one. "OK, now you got the blue cup. What ya gonna do with it ? ". " Nooo, you can't have the red cup tomorrow, you wanted the blue one." Flu could be worse than bees, especially if someone was ready for it. If you can vaccinate the right people and keep a big enough percentage fit to work, you could play a numbers game. I wonder what kind of folk are on the priority list for flu vaccination. Blimey, we've rambled on and off topic, all the way to custard and depression ! I'm off to defraggle my bot computer.

"...what kind of folk are on the priority list for flu vaccination..."

It's my understanding that in the US the answer is health care workers, firefighters and policemen, and the 'leadership', which I take to mean politicians elected to public office. That last lot doesn't strike me as being essential by definition, but then I'm kinda funny that way... I presume the list in the UK would be similar.

I'm pretty sure you're right, thought the list is probably reversed. Our benevolent leaders will undoubtedly be first into the bunker. As soon as all the fibre optics are installed, and sufficient Tamiflu stock-piled..........I'm busily printing off various posts, so that come the 'big one' I can sit here with a pot of glue and still play CR4 on my forlorn monitor. A paint scraper may be needed to remove the glue and post each day, but I'll find a way !