Black Demon targets computer hackers (USA troops bump)

www.stripes.com ^ | By Marni McEntee

[bogdanPolska12]

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Air Force computer gurus are entrenched in a cyber war against themselves.

Just as Air Force pilots fly mock dogfights during their exercises, so too do network security experts battle imaginary foes to train for the real world.

This week, nine Air Force major commands and two Air Force agencies are engaged in Exercise Black Demon to root out insidious computer hackers who would seek to destroy the Air Force’s operations with but a few keystrokes.

“Just like our pilots and air crews want to gain air and space superiority, we want to gain network superiority,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Scott, deputy operations chief of U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s Network Operations and Security Center.

To test their capabilities, some 500 Air Force computer experts — from Europe to the United States to the Pacific region — are tackling intrusions into a network created especially for the exercise.

Air Force members from the Information Warfare Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, are disguised as computer hackers, or aggressors, for the exercise.

“We get exposed to attacks in a controlled environment before we see it in the real world,” said Tech. Sgt. Allan Bartlett, noncommissioned officer in charge of USAFE’s Network Security Cell. “We actually let some attacks get through and give the crew an opportunity to fight the war.”

It’s a scary scenario with a scary name, made up by the Lackland Information Warfare team. Scott said part of the reason behind the name is classified, so he couldn’t say exactly how it came to be.

The exercise objectives, however, are quite clear. Bartlett said the service regularly battles hackers of various capabilities and this will help prepare them for the attacks.

“It happens all the time, 24 hours a day,” Bartlett said.

None has brought the service to its knees, but the threat of a successful network monkey-wrencher — especially one that gains access over an extended period of time — strikes fear in operators’ hearts. That’s because these days the Air Force relies on computers for just about everything, from combat operations to communications to logistics to morale-boosting e-mail centers in deployed locations.

Worst-case scenario: “A hacker could deny you the ability to complete your mission,” Scott said.

The Air Force conducted its first Black Demon exercise in 2002, a few years after one virus did manage to break through the network’s security systems. The Melissa virus in the late ’90s attacked users through the Microsoft Outlook network. The virus degraded some Air Force computer systems for up to a week, though the USAFE system wasn’t seriously affected, Scott said.

The Melissa scare also prompted the service to unify its computer networks, making it “a weapons system,” Bartlett said.

Black Demon 2004 will test that unified system’s security through Friday.

[AmericaUnited]

These guys should go to an "NSA Top Gun" school.

Attn: Echelon vacuum cleaner - Please forward to the appropriate section as a suggestion.

[bogdanPolska12]

FYI

[non-anonymous]

I knew a guy who worked at the NSA. I asked him how he liked it and he said, "That's classified."

Actually, this sounds pretty interesting. I've been tossing around the idea of enlisting in the Air Force for a while (my dad worked on missiles in N-Dakota in the late 60's) and this is something I could see myself doing.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Cool. Thanks, bogdan!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as Air Force pilots fly mock dogfights during their exercises, so too do network security experts battle imaginary foes to train for the real world.

This week, nine Air Force major commands and two Air Force agencies are engaged in Exercise Black Demon to root out insidious computer hackers who would seek to destroy the Air Force’s operations with but a few keystrokes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note to our Air Force cyber warriors, we're on your side.
Some poorly disguised enemies lurk.

FR Mission Statement.

Ping!

[MeekOneGOP]

[blackie]

We Support Our Troops ~ Bump!

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[Happy2BMe]

Nothing can stop the USAF! - BUMP

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Go for it Chris!! "Air Force" and Army here. (I'm a tad prejudice towards AIR FORCE of course, LOL). In all seriousness we love and support all brances of the service and support your decision too.

If they still do it the same way you can sign up specifically for that field. So keep us posted!

God Bless!

[PhilDragoo]

Exercise Black Demon teams detect and destroy hack attempts and hackers.

Computer Specialist Darth Phaser calls in coordinates of hacker, a Kerry 2004 bathhouse in San Francisco (above right).

Appropriate assets are tasked to delete the problem.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

BUMP!! :o)

[windchime]

Bump!