US Still Doesn't Know Who's In Charge of What If Massive Cyber Attack Strikes Nation

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2015/11/us-still-doesnt-know-whos-charge-if-massive-cyber-attack-strikes-nation/123377/

BY PATRICK TUCKER
Defense One
NOVEMBER 3, 2015

The threat of a massive cyber attack on civilian infrastructure, leading 
to loss of life and perhaps billions in damages, has kept lawmakers on 
edge since before former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of it back 
in 2012 (or the fourth Die Hard movie in 2007). Many experts believe that 
a sneak attack would be highly unlikely. The Department of Homeland 
Security has the lead in responding to most cyber attacks. But if one were 
to occur today, DHS and the Defense Department wouldn’t know all the 
details of who is in charge of what.

The Department of Defense Cyber Strategy, published in April, carves out a 
clear role for the military and Cyber Command in responding to any sort of 
cyber attack of “significant consequence,” supporting DHS.

Specifically, the strategy tasks the 13 different National Mission Force 
teams, cyber teams set up to defend the the United States and its 
interests from attacks of significant consequence, with carrying out 
exercises with other agencies and setting up emergency procedures. It’s 
the third strategic goal in the strategy. It’s also “probably the one 
that’s the least developed at this – at this point,” Lt. Gen. James K. 
McLaughlin, the deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said at a Center 
for Strategic and International Studies event last month.

He went on to describe the role that the military would play in such an 
event as “building the quick reaction forces and the capacity to defend 
the broader United States against an attack.” It’s something that the 
Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI and 
other agency partners all train for together in events like the Cyber 
Guard exercises, the most recent of which took place in July. The Defense 
Department, DHS and others worked through a series of scenarios related to 
a major attack on infrastructure.

[...]

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