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Advanced Emulation Technologies Fuel
Cyber Security Capability Development
- A new tool called software virtual networks (SVNs) that enable rigorous vulnerability
testing and training for net-centric comm systems offer answers
for the modern cyber warfighter –
MILCOM 2009 (October 14, 2009) --- Global cyberspace isn’t just the fifth warfare domain - it’s the new
theatre of war, teeming with invisible enemies. The sophistication of network attacks is increasing daily,
and both military and civilian communication networks are de facto battlefields, facing threats from
increasingly diverse adversaries that are finding and exploiting holes in current technologies.
“We have to understand that cyberspace can be shaped, but it cannot be dominated - because we don’t
know most of it,” says Lt. Gen. William Lord, CIO of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force speaking
to a meeting of the AFCEA Northern Virginia chapter on September 18, 2009. “It’s a commercial
enterprise, not a military enterprise.” Within this environment of rapid change, the US DoD’s pursuit of
cyber superiority has spurned a number of new US defense initiatives that are blurring the lines between
the military services and their traditional roles. “We will never fight alone by service again.” Lord said.
The ability to rigorously vet net-centric communication systems, particularly the most vulnerable domain
of mobile wireless communications, is where a new class of advanced network simulation and emulation
tools called software virtual networks (SVNs) are coming into play.
Virtual Networks, Real Behavior
First introduced in 2008 by Scalable Network Technologies of Los Angeles, CA, SVNs are poised to
enable the massive cyber security development efforts that are in the pipeline. SVNs are exact digital
replicas of physical networks in virtual space – indistinguishable from a real network. Unlike traditional
modeling and simulation technology, SVNs are based on emulation, and have the ability to interoperate
with applications, devices, management tools, and people - at real time speed. SVNs emulate all layers
of complex networks that may involve thousands of nodes, providing cyber security planners and sleuths
high fidelity results that are comparable to physical testing. But unlike physical test beds, the synthetic
networks offer advantages of greater flexibility, immediacy and much lower cost.
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The underlying technology of SVN’s is a kernel design that allows these synthetic networks to operate on
every generation of parallel computer architecture from multi-core PCs to supercomputers. Thus, for the
first time, emulators can scale to the size and complexity of existing and future networks – providing real
time speed and fidelity.
This advancement is analogous to the revolutionary advance that Google™ brought to the search engine
world. Correctly anticipating the growth of the World Wide Web, Google designed its search engine to be
inherently scalable through the power of clusters and farms of computers. In the same way, SNT
predicted that the complexity of on-the-move communication networks would increase at a much greater
rate than the speed of computing power, and strategically leveraged the power of parallel computing for
their network emulation.
Fast and Realistic Answers
Cyberwarfare is about stealth and speed. Because the volley of attacks and countermeasures takes place
between invisible adversaries, capability development must focus on a number of fronts: configuring
networks for maximum security; packaging it so that non-experts can use it on the battlefield; and training
deployed personnel to rapidly defend & restore networks and shut down intruders. “What keeps me up at
night are poor browser and SQL database configurations,” says Ray Letteer, head of the Marine Corps’
Information Assurance Division in the Office of the Director, C4/DON Deputy CIO. “My blue teams that do
operational tests keep finding issues, pointing to peer-to-peer operating systems, people failing to follow
policies, and the reliance on passwords as some of the many ways systems are easily breached.”
Cyberwarfare goes beyond secure software and devices. Cyberattacks are conducted and understood by
relatively few, so developing skilled personnel that are capable of detecting and defending cyber threats
is a crucial need. SVNs accelerate the time-to-solution to these kinds of operational and training
challenges by stress-testing software under real-world attack scenarios. These finding can then support
continuous training and skills upgrades as well as development of new tactics, techniques and
procedures (TT&Ps) as systems evolve.
Stress-Testing Applications
The interactivity and realism of SVNs extends to software. For example, a command and control
application that will be deployed over an on-the-move network can be run on top of the SVN so that a
warfighter will have the same experience with that application as they would in the field. Urban, rural, and
mixed environments can be emulated, exposing warfighters and commanders to realistic encounters in
advance. Threats can be injected into the SVN to stress the application for vulnerabilities, pinpointing
code that must be re-written to close security gaps.
Some progress has already been made in this type of application testing. An Aviation Week article
published in May 2009 described several future attack devices being built in a U.S. cyber warfare attack
laboratory. Capabilities include software for finding digital weaknesses in virtually any form of wireless
network that combines cyber sleuthing, technology analysis, and tracking of information flow. These
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devices also suggest how best to mount an attack and report results. A by-product of the project is that it
jumpstarts the weaponizing of cyber attack for the non-cyberspecialist military user.
Pre-Deployment Training
SVNs can also serve as laboratories in which to train people to use new cyber war technology prior to
deployment. The long-term vision for cyber war readiness includes creating decision-support tools that
provide situational awareness and training for warfighters who aren’t networking experts.
For example, an actual ground/air/SATCOM network with Link 16 and NET connectivity can interoperate
with an SVN that is delivering a war-gaming application, simulated network intrusions such as wormholes,
blind denial of service, simulated RF jamming attackers, and the new cyberwar application and/or device.
This level of comprehensive and realistic training experience enables the honing of individual proficiency
and the refining of cyberwar TT&P’s.
Keeping Ahead of Enemies
As “assets” and “targets” move rapidly to the cyber domain, the very nature of warfare is being redefined.
Superior development technology is the pre-requisite to staying a step ahead of highly adaptable
adversaries.
Scalable Network Technologies will be publicly demonstrating how SVN’s can be used in cyber warfare
application at the MILCOM 2009, October 19-21 in Boston, MA.
For more information on software virtual networks and their application to cyberwar capability
development, contact Scalable Network Technologies at (310) 338-3318 or info@scalable-networks.com
About Scalable Network Technologies
Scalable Network Technologies (SNT) is the leader in parallel processing technology for network
performance evaluation. The company develops and supports high-fidelity evaluation software tools used
for predicting the performance of computing and communications networks and network devices. SNT
has created a new category of evaluation tools for today’s sophisticated networks that meets the demand
for real-time, real-network performance testing.
The company’s customers include major aerospace and defense contractors, the US Department of
Defense, mobile network operators, as well as research agencies and universities.
Founded in 1999 and based in Los Angeles, CA, Scalable Network Technologies is a privately owned
corporation. VisNet, QualNet, and EXata are registered trademarks of Scalable Network Technologies,
Inc. More information on the company is available at http://www.scalable-networks.com.