DARPA Cyber Range Project Doomed to Failure

carusoj writes "Former black-hat hacker Noah Schiffman details why DARPA's National Cyber Range project is bound to fail. The NCR is proposed as a simulation of the Internet, including replicating 'human behavior and frailties.' Schiffman argues that if the Defense Department is really building something of this scope, it might as well use the actual Internet."

sigh

[wizardforce]

30 billion dollars = 60 million PCs with decent processors to take care of pretty mcuh any cyber war they want.

I disagree...

[religious freak]

Saying that a simulated Internet for cyberwaarfare (note the new meme!) has no point is like saying a simulated Earth has no point for studying global warming. To effectively study you need controls and variables. Having real controls on the actual Internet is impossible, not to mention the fact you'd be vulnerable to surveillance.

I also find it interesting to find that people say a realistic simulation is impossible, while in the same breath complaining this project costs too much. $30 Billion obviously won't get you 100% there, but I'll bet it'll get you there with 95% confidence. Yeah, I suppose you could argue that because that 5% exists, the project has no meaning, but any engineering effort has a little slack in it. If history is any indication DARPA should do a fairly good job at managing that risk.

Missing the point of DARPA altogether

[Shoten]

The point of research...and that's what DARPA is all about...is pushing the envelope. I was at the DARPA event where potential respondents learned about the desired features and overall nature of the program, and it was extremely ambitious, yes. But in conversations with my peers, it turns out that an enormous amount of the technology to make it happen already exists. Sure, they may not get everything they want, but so what? If they only get half of it...and the lesser half at that...they'll still have something that our country desperately needs, which is a place to test and practice information warfare tactics. The components that exist today, if put together to form an "NCR lite," would still provide immense value, and for that alone, the NCR is bound to be a success. And let me tell you, with the people that were in that room, I would be profoundly surprised if a great deal of innovation did not take place as well.