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NATO's Cyber Defence Warriors
BBC ^ | Tuesday, 3 February 2009 | Frank Gardner

Posted on 02/04/2009 2:20:20 PM PST by nickcarraway

Nato officials have told the BBC their computers are under constant attack from organisations and individuals bent on trying to hack into their secrets.

The attacks keep coming despite the establishment of a co-ordinated cyber defence policy with a quick-reaction cyber team on permanent standby.

The cyber defence policy was set up after a wave of cyber attacks on Nato member Estonia in 2007, and more recent attacks on Georgia - so what are they defending against and how do they do it?

Tower of Babel

Nato's operational headquarters in Mons is a low, drab three-storey building - part of a sprawling complex set in rolling farmland south of Brussels.

The blue and white flag of the 26-nation alliance flutters in the cold breeze alongside the spangled banner of the EU.

Inside the canteen it is like a Tower of Babel with almost every language of Europe competing to be heard above the clatter of trays and dishes.

Our escort, a German army officer in immaculate uniform, leads us down a corridor to a hushed room where 20 or so military analysts sit hunched over computers; their desert boots and camouflage fatigues strangely out of place for a windowless room in Belgium.

This, explains Chris Evis, is the Incident Management Section, which he heads.

"We face the full gamut of threats. It varies from your kiddie who's just trying to gain street cred amongst his friends to say he's just defaced a Nato system to more focused targeted attacks against Nato information".

Cyber attacks are not new - websites were being hacked into and brought down during the Kosovo war 10 years ago.

But when Estonia came under sustained cyber attack from Russian sympathisers in 2007, the alliance realised it needed a proper cyber defence policy and fast.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Military/Veterans; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: cyberdefence; cyberdefense; cyberwar; nato; security; software

1 posted on 02/04/2009 2:20:20 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

“so what are they defending against and how do they do it?”

fear not, the BBC will make all defenses known.


2 posted on 02/04/2009 2:21:38 PM PST by chuck_the_tv_out
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To: nickcarraway
My favorite cyber-defense: Cortana, from "Halo":


Defend me, babe...

3 posted on 02/04/2009 2:23:29 PM PST by Old Sarge (Obama Dozed, People Froze)
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To: Old Sarge

Giggling...Old Sarge, your imagination is boundless.


4 posted on 02/04/2009 2:26:00 PM PST by Cindy
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