In a scene reminiscent of the often overlooked 1983 gem ‘War Games’ (in which Matthew Broderick stars as a student who hacks into a military supercomputer and unwittingly ignites global nuclear warfare), the US and UK governments have announced that they intend to inflict cyber-attacks against each other in an attempt to beef up their respective defences to the reality of cyber terrorism.
Planned operations will be carried out on both sides of the Atlantic, the first of which is expected to occur in 2015 and is to involve the City of London, Wall Street, the Bank of England and a number of commercial banks. According to Downing Street, the goal of this mock warfare is to test national infrastructures in light of the growing prevalence of cyber-attacks. Resources are also being dedicated to train a generation of “agents” to provide them with the ability to respond proportionately and effectively to an attack.
The agreement between the two super powers, viewed in light of several recent high-profile cyber incidents, will not only strengthen security at a national level but will also alert companies the world over to the fact that cyber-security is a real concern and one that is here to stay. In recognition of this, A&L Goodbody is the first law firm in Ireland to have a dedicated Cyber Risk and Data Privacy practice. More information is available at www.algoodbody.com/expertise/Cyber_Risk_Data_Privacy.