US chemical companies in largest ever cyber security exercise

Arlington, Virginia –  Ten US chemical companies have participated the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Storm II, which is claimed to be the largest cyber security exercise ever organised. The initiative was organised through the American Chemistry Council's Chemical Information Technology Center (ChemITC).

Conducted by the DHS National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), Cyber Storm II brought together participants from federal, state and local governments, critical infrastructure sectors and the international community. The aims was to examine and validate incident response and coordination capabilities in the event of a multi-sector coordinated attack on the global cyber infrastructure.

Cyber Storm II provided the opportunity for participating chemical companies to test their incident response and crisis communication processes, and identify areas where improvement is needed, said a statement from ChemITC. The statement did not identify the companies involved.

“Since 2002, chemical company cyber security experts have worked diligently through ChemITC to develop guidance that can help companies enhance their cyber security performance. In addition, we have realized significant advancements in the development of a public/private partnership with the Department of Homeland Security over the past five years,” said Chris Bryant, managing director of ACC’s Chemical Products and Technology Division.

"Cyber Storm II allowed participating companies to examine how well they engage their corporate processes and resources, as well as resources available at the sector level, across other critical infrastructure sectors and with government agencies during a simulated, large-scale coordinated cyber attack,” he added.

According to Bryant, the exercise should reveal important lessons at all levels of information sharing during crisis conditions, both within individual companies as well as when companies need to escalate communication to the sector level and engage entities outside the chemical sector.