National Security Agency holds 2010 Cyber Defense Exercise
NSA, service academy experts test advanced tactics and technologies for cyber security in 2010 Cyber Defense Exercise; teams will compete in real-world strategies and tactics for building smart cyber defenses, fending off hackers, and eradicating malware; the West Point teams have won the competition in the last three years
Teams of cyber security experts from the National Security Agency (NSA) and the U.S. service academies are squaring off this week in one of the U.S.’s most expansive and sophisticated cyber “war games,” the Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX). Lockheed Martin is host for the CDX command center and network hub at its Greenbelt facility for the week-long event.
“Cyber security has never been as crucial to global security as it is today,” said Darrell Durst, vice president of cyber solutions for Lockheed Martin. “NSA is leading the charge of developing the next generation of cyber experts through CDX, and we’re very proud to support them in that mission.
Participants will test drive real-world strategies and tactics for building smart cyber defenses, fending off hackers, and eradicating malware — all critical cyber security skills.”
Lockheed Martin helped NSA establish a secure network for the exercise, which links all the academies with CDX headquarters at the Lockheed Martin facility in Greenbelt, Maryland. The company is also providing technical support and expertise for CDX preparation and execution. This is the eighth year that Lockheed Martin is supporting and hosting the CDX.
Lockheed Martin is a provider of cyber security technology and services to the NSA and a number of defense and intelligence agencies. The corporation recently opened the NexGen Cyber Innovation and Technology Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The NexGen Center serves as the hub of a nationwide network of cyber research and development labs, including the Wireless Cyber Security Center in Hanover, Maryland, and two Security Intelligence Centers in Denver and Gaithersburg.
At the Air Force Academy, one of the instructors helping the students learn how to construct cyberdefenses — and prepare for the NSA’s exercise — is Air Force Capt. Michael Henson. He agreed to answer some questions from CNET about the competition, which has been won by West Point for the last three years. Note, though, that the Air Force Academy won in 2006, and Henson surely believes that his charges will take the crown in 2010.
