On Monday, the Washington Post reported that Chinese hackers had gained access to the designs of more than two dozen US weapons systems, including combat ships, aircraft, and missile defense systems. Although China denied the claims in the Defense Department report cited by the post, that country’s government announced earlier today that they have plans to conduct China’s first “digital military” exercise next week. President Obama and the Pentagon have increasingly addressed concerns about government-backed Chinese hackers in recent months, and next week, the president is scheduled to discuss cyber security with China’s president.
But cat and mouse diplomacy isn’t the only plan for staving off cyber threats. The SANS Institute, a private security firm, has been training US cyber warriors using real world attack scenarios bridging the virtual space with potential physical consequences of a cyber-attack. SANS has constructed something called “NetWars CyberCity,” a miniature model city located somewhere near the New Jersey Turnpike. Earlier this year, Brady Carlson spoke with Ed Skoudis, SANS instructor and the director of NetWars Cyber City.