3 continents, 8 countries and one cyber attack on a fake petrol company

Organisers are praising the success of a multi-nation exercise – hosted by the UK – that aimed to test response to serious cyber crime. Exercise Silver Shadow, which was run by the National Crime Agency (NCA)’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU), funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and supported by the Home Office, saw …

[Anonymous Coward]

Organisers are praising the success of a multi-nation exercise

and meanwhile in the real world, it still goes on.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Organisers are praising the success of a multi-nation exercise

Yes - these exercises are always a success for two reasons:

(1) so the "bad guys" aren't told that the defences are useless and that there is much opportunity to attack, and

(2) the government which has poured lots and lots of money into are assured that their "investment" is paying off.

I thought the summary from the NCA gentleman was very good - he essentially admitted that there were problems and they wanted to address them.

But point taken - yes, in the real world crims don't read the script, so they always forget their parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Cyber Attack Thwarted

We can also rebuff other attacks that we set the criteria of

meanwhile, the attacks that we don't have a crib sheet for are continuing unabated

[annodomini2]

Usual?

The lackeys and BOFH enjoy a stress test, while senior figures are wined and dined?

Usual isn't it?

[Infury8r]

Another credible option .....

"It’s a credible scenario to imagine that hacktivist types or (slightly more of a stretch) ransomware-slinging cybercrooks might also target an oil firm."

Or environmentalists.

[Doctor Syntax]

I don't know whether the scenario has much effect on the exercise but if it does then this seems to follow a traditional military strategy planning pattern: fighting the last war or the war before that. Even a scenario modelled on Sony would have been more recent than that chosen but the current attack-de-jour seems to be DDOS.

[Anonymous Coward]

They should have run the scenario in Die Hard 4.0

Far more realistic....

[Mark 85]

A pity that rather than playing a game, they couldn't pick a real target and go for it... say any of the ransomware types. Games are fun, but the real deal is much more satisfying and actually do some good.

[Ole Juul]

real target

Indeed, they could have spent all those resources targeting the crims. Or perhaps Pogo had it right: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

[Anonymous Coward]

The best defense...

...is a very aggressive offense. Waiting for the crims to show when they have already hacked your system and you don't even know it, means you are hopelessly outclassed and impotent to defeat the enemy.

[Phil Endecott]

> Bulgaria; Georgia; Lithuania; Moldova; Romania; Ukraine; the UK ... and the US

What an impressive of countries.

[x 7]

" Bulgaria; Georgia; Lithuania; Moldova; Romania; Ukraine"

Yep, we may as well show them how to hack us properly.........

[x 7]

"The event platform was a specialist Serco service"

Serco? They can't even maintain the ScotRail sleeper trains to a safe standard. WTF chance have they got of knowing anything about computer hacking? A company who finds it impossible to provide hot water, working toilets, working lighting, safe brakes or round wheels on their trains

[scrubber]

I hear...

...solid encryption is quite a good defence against hackers.