The 'boy scouts' in the City follow their motto

"Be Prepared", I understand is the motto of the Boy Scouts which provided some predictable and ribald commentary in barracks as we set off on Saturday nights to beautiful (not!) downtown Aldershot back in the day!  But I digress - again.  What we might call 'the boy scouts' of the City of London are definitely preparing themselves by holding a 'cyber attack exercise' today.  According to Reuters, as reported by Interactive Investor:

Thousands of staff across dozens of London's financial firms will be put through
a "war game" scenario on Tuesday to test how well they can handle a major cyber attack.

In one of the largest exercises of its kind in the world, the test dubbed
"Waking Shark II" will bombard firms with a series of announcements and
scenarios, such as a major attack on computer systems hitting stock exchanges
and unfolding on social media.

It will be co-ordinated from a single room housing regulators, government
officials and staff from banks and other financial firms, people familiar with
the matter said.

I hope, nay, I pray, that the government officials concerned learn the lessons and make every effort to ready the governmental machine for similar attacks.  I don't think 99% of the population, which includes me, have the remotest idea of the catastrophic - and I choose the word carefully - implications of a fierce cyber attack bringing down our national computer systems.  Frankly, my mind boggles but I just hope those with responsibility can and will think their way through to incorporate sensible defensive measures.  Yeah, yeah, I know it's government but a man may hope, may he not?

 

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Comments

[Andrew Duffin]

"Announcements" and "Scenarios".

Oh my, how terrifying.

I'd feel a little more confident if they were actually testing something, rather than just pretending and talking about it, but then I suppose we'd find out how unprepared they really are.

Worrying.

[David Duff]

Well, to be fair, Andrew, I'm not sure how you could conduct a 'realistic' exercise in counter-cyber warfare. Even so, at least they're thinking about it which, I suspect, is more than the government is doing!

[dearieme]

It's at times like this that I regret selling my rifle and letting my licence lapse. That is to say, every time I'm reminded of how fragile it all is.

[David Duff]

Have you read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"? A work of imagination - I hope!