Friday, February 12, 2010

Cyber attack

Odd coincidence. The post below discusses an update to Windows 7, to be launched on February 16, which will cause all affected computers to "phone home" to Microsoft on a routine basis. On that same date, even wilder things will be abroad in cyperspace, as the U.S. national security establishment "war games" a massive cyber attack.
It will be quite realistic, featuring senior intelligence and national security officials, including former directors of intelligence agencies and combatant commands and homeland security advisers.
Participants include John Negroponte, the first DNI, who will be the fictional Secretary of State. (Intel insiders will enjoy this role change.) Ex-DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff will be the National Security Adviser. Fran Townsend, the former White House Homeland Security Adviser, will be the secretary of DHS. Former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin will be the Director of National Intelligence. Other big-name participants include Jamie Gorelick, Stewart Baker, Joe Lockhart and Bennet Johnson.
Of course, most of this will be confined to a circumscribed space in a hotel. I have a reader who is a bit of a "Daphne Moon" type (and don't tell me you've never seen a single episode of Frasier), who has felt for a long time that something bad is going to happen that day. Snicker if ye will, ye churls -- but wasn't Daphne usually right?

And wasn't there a "war game" scenario underway when the real-world attacks occurred on 9/11?

7 comments:

Nibbles McGee said...

Thanks for this, Joe. (Oh, and I believe it is FaSier.)

Joseph Cannon said...

Frasier. Between the two of us, we've stumbled upon the correct spelling, and the correction has been made.

Gus said...

Very interesting. There was also, you may recall, a train bombing exercise on the same day of the London train bombings. No doubt, just a crazy coincidence.........

I'll certainly be expecting something to happen that day now.

Anonymous said...

Well I know that day as a disaster from this day forward, my only grip is Joseppi why didn't you say so two decades ago. Could have saved a lot of legal fees and a broken heart.

Anonymous said...

So is this an ongoing thing or can I just unplug the connection on my Windows7 for a couple of days.

Fredster said...

Feb. 16th. it will be an odd day...in New Orleans-it's Fat Tuesday. Strange things will undoubtedly happen there and in Rio on that day.

Anonymous said...

And wasn't there a "war game" scenario underway when the real-world attacks occurred on 9/11?

Yes. Not only simulated and/or 'live fly' exercises concerning hijacked airliners, but Operation Tripod, the FEMA exercise concerning a biological attack in south Manhattan.

Similarly, there were exact time and place 'exercises' in the case of the 7/7 tube bombings.

Before the southeast Asian tsunami, US Marines had been training for an unspecified humanitarian mission.

And the day before the Haiti earthquake, US forces were exercising and prepping for a natural disaster hitting Haiti (hurricane damage, it was said).

Very handy coincidences, similar to how a complete war plan against Afghanistan was on Bush's desk for his approval on 9/10/01.

Gotta hit the ground rolling, if you know what I mean.

XI