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U.S. National Guard Preparing For Cyberwar

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – The U.S. National Guard is preparing for cyber warfare amid concerns about possible attacks on critical infrastructure in the United States, Worthy News learned.

A related two-week training, dubbed ‘Cyber Yankee 2021’, was conducted by National Guard troops stationed across New England, officials said. The training offered a situation in which cyberattacks took down West Coast utilities and then moved eastward across the country.

Private-sector technology companies were reportedly involved in the exercise, which was meant to enhance the real-life approach to the simulated crisis.

Unlike Cyber Yankee 2020, this year’s version was in-person. There was a virtual involvement of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Cyber Command, and civilian agencies, according to officials.

Teams dealt with real-life malware to practice responses to threats from simulated threat actors played by active and reserve Marine Corps Defensive Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defensive Measures groups.

They also dealt with new defensive technology, the Cyber 9-Line, a dedicated communications channel allowing National Guard units to refer potential threats to the U.S. Cyber Command.

“You’re talking about, at the local level, straight connection to U.S. Cyber Command and the resources that they have,” said Maj. Ryan Miler, Connecticut Army National Guard cyber operations officer.

The exercises came shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that particular critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyberattacks.

But commentators said his efforts were unlikely to be more successful than previous attempts to carve out safe zones online.

The United States had its first serious taste of what that might mean last month. Ransom-seeking cybercriminals briefly triggered the closure of a major U.S. pipeline network, interrupting gasoline deliveries and sparking panic-buying up and down the East Coast.

Earlier cyberattacks aimed at the Ukrainian power grid and a Saudi petrochemical plant have also drawn concern.

In all those cases, the hackers involved are accused by the United States of either working directly for the Russian government or from Russian territory.

Russian officials have denied carrying out or tolerating cyberattacks, and President Putin has made no concessions on the issue.

Amid the turmoil, legislators in Washington have urged greater involvement of National Guard troops in the cyber warfare domain. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan and Republican John Cornyn introduced legislation in January, noting that National Guard units can conduct cyber operations to protect infrastructure.

“We have seen unprecedented cyberattacks throughout the country this past year — most notably the SolarWinds attack, but also cyber attacks on schools, hospitals, and state and local governments amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hassan said in a statement at the time.