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NeuStar Provides Operational Expertise to Department of Homeland Security's 'Cyber Storm II'
STERLING, Va., March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NeuStar, Inc.
(NYSE: NSR) announced today that it participated in Cyber Storm II, the
largest ever multinational online security exercise, which was organized by
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As a provider of managed DNS
and directory services to the global communications and Internet industry,
NeuStar was among a select group of companies invited by DHS to help the
government plan and conduct Cyber Storm II.
The week-long Cyber Storm II exercise concluded on Friday, March 14, 2008.
Participants included representatives from five countries (Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States), several U.S. federal agencies,
nine different states (Pennsylvania, Colorado, California, Delaware, Texas,
Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia), and over 40 private sector
companies.
The goal of the Cyber Storm II exercise was to examine security
preparedness and response capabilities across a variety of infrastructure
functions including information technology, communications, and transportation
systems and assets. Various "cyber-focused" scenarios were posed, all of which
escalated to the level of a national incident involving compromised Internet
infrastructures and requiring a coordinated government/industry response.
NeuStar's participation in Cyber Storm II spanned four areas:
-- Technical expertise in the stability and security of the global
Internet, specifically in the areas of global routing and DNS.
-- Design and development of custom scenarios specifically testing
participant readiness and expertise in dealing with a large scale
"cyber-attack" against both critical infrastructure components and the
Internet as a whole.
-- Operational expertise during exercise simulations, acting as a third-
party vendor and modifying scenarios in real time to provide more
realism.
-- Post-exercise analysis and recommendations in the coming months to
assist all of the participants in improving responses to significant
cyber events.
"Cyber Storm II highlights the critical nature of both NeuStar and DNS to
the operation and security of the Internet and the global activities it
supports," said Rodney Joffe, senior vice president and senior technologist at
NeuStar. "Our participation in Cyber Storm II demonstrated NeuStar's position
as a trusted thought leader with regard to the global DNS infrastructure, and
allowed us to showcase our technology and operational expertise. NeuStar is
committed to ensuring the ongoing security and stability of the Internet, and
we are honored to have participated as a key player in this important
exercise."
Lessons learned from Cyber Storm II will be captured in ongoing evaluation
sessions, and will be published in an after-action report to be published
later this year by DHS.
About NeuStar
NeuStar (NYSE: NSR) is a provider of clearinghouse and directory services
to the global communications and Internet industry. Visit NeuStar online at
http://www.NeuStar.biz.