DARPA to Build Simulation to Defend Against Cyber AttacksJanuary 14, 2010

 

cyber words

The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) is hoping to discover how best to protect its most famous creation—the Internet.

With its National Cyber Range (NCR) program, DARPA is teaming up with commercial contractors like Lockheed Martin to develop technologies that simulate attacks on U.S. cyber networks and computer systems linked to the digital infrastructure. The idea is for the agency to learn how to defend against or quickly recover from the attacks. The program will also give DARPA strategies to anticipate attacks and plan counter measures. The program, which began in 2009 but just moved into phase II, tests or become integrated into one or more larger “testbeds,” based on specific testing needs, notes DARPA in a factsheet about the program.

The NCR will test technologies such as host security systems, and local- and wide-area network (LAN and WAN) security tools and suites by integrating, replicating or simulating the technologies. The NCR will provide a large-scale Global Information Grid (GIG) infrastructure, where technologies and systems can be tested under real world conditions in current and future environments.

These “testbeds” include the ability to test new network protocols, satellite and radio frequency (RF) communications, and mobile tactical and maritime communications, in order to meet the needs of the Defense Department (DoD) Services and Combatant Commands and other agencies. The program will study many forms of vulnerabilities, from components to the system level, software code, misconfigured systems and human error.

DARPA hopes to have a fully functional NCR system in five to 10 years. According to DARPA, the final system could provide the ability to do the following:

  • conduct quantitative and qualitative assessment of information assurance and survivability tools in a representative network environment
  • replicate complex, large-scale, heterogeneous networks and users in current and future DoD weapon systems and operations
  • enable multiple, independent, simultaneous experiments on the same infrastructure enable realistic testing of GIG scale research
  • develop and deploy revolutionary cyber testing capabilities; and
  • enable the use of the scientific method for rigorous cyber testing