Naval Academy mids match wits with NSA in cyber war

Paul W. Gillespie
	Midshipmen participating in the seventh annual Cyber Defense Exercise yesterday worked to keep National Security Agency hackers from invading their computer system. From left, Midshipman 1st Class Robert Reagan teams with Midshipmen 2nd Class Daniel Tantillo and Antony Robertson on an excercise.

By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer

A roomful of Naval Academy midshipmen hovered over computer terminals yesterday afternoon, defending their installation from attack.

They were trying to ward off an enemy intent on disrupting the computer system that could control the positioning of ships and aircraft, and the supply of fuel, food and medicines.

On the wall was the Naval Academy's main password for this exercise, but midshipmen and professors screamed "No!" when a reporter started to copy it.

In this modern-day war game, mids were matching wits with a team of about 50 computer whizzes from the National Security Agency, all of whom were intent on worming their way into the computer system the midshipmen built.

Like sentries in Gen. Washington's Revolutionary War army, the mids had to safeguard passwords from a devious enemy, and like the soldiers and sailors who fought World War II, they had to make sure everything was safely encrypted.

"We really believe this is the next threat to our country; many believe the next war will be fought in the cyber world," said Air Force Major Tom Augustine, who teaches computer science at the Naval Academy.

This marked the 7th Annual Cyber Defense Exercise. All five service academies - Naval, Military, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine - were participating in the five-day competition that started Monday.

The winner receives a brass-and-marble trophy that's about the size of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, awarded to the service academy with the victorious football team. For the past year, the trophy has been parked at the Air Force academy, and this year the mids are intent on bringing it back "home" to Annapolis.

The theme for this year's exercise was "Protecting the Matrix," to remind the future officers that a strong cyber defense is key to winning wars and protecting the nation.

Each year, NSA dedicates two teams to the competition - the "red" team, tries to hack into computer systems the service academies create for this exercise, while the "white" team grades the results.

Each academy starts out with 50,000 points, and NSA deducts points as an and protecting the nation.

Each year, NSA dedicates two teams to the competition - the "red" team, tries to hack into computer systems the service academies create for this exercise, while the "white" team grades the results.

Each academy starts out with 50,000 points, and NSA deducts points as an academy's system is compromised.

NSA does give the academies a chance to earn bonus points by invading a designated NSA computer, but that can turn into a Trojan horse.

After all, NSA is the enemy, and the enemy wants the good guys to waste their resources.

"It is fun, and it gives you bonus points, but it takes your people away," said Naval Academy team commander Midshipman 1st Class Gregory A. Mischler.

The service academies get more competitive each year, said Midshipman Mischler, a senior who plans to specialize in nuclear power after he is commissioned next month.

"In past years, some team would screw up and take themselves out of the competition," he said. "Those big mistakes that would have taken us out, we now spot them."

NSA makes the competition tougher each year, according to Dr. Kay Schulze, chairman of the Naval Academy Computer Science Department. "The kids six years ago would have been 'red' (compromised) within hours, and five years from now, these kids would be 'red' in hours."

Adjunct professor Angela Reninger, on assignment to the academy from NSA, worked with the midshipmen in preparing for this year's war games. "This whole CDX exercise is very close to what the real world - and especially the military - is seeing," she said yesterday.

Midshipman Mischler said the one thing to always remember when designing and defending a computer system is the human element.

"If a guy is a Giants fan, how hard is it to figure out he has 'Giants' as his password?" Midshipman Mischler said.

The academy has 41 mids working on the exercise this year, 15 of whom are seniors.

The midshipmen spent about six months designing and building their computer system for the exercise.

CDX is not an "official" academy function, so the mids do this on their own time and do not receive academic or extracurricular credit.

Some of the event organizers say they prefer CDX remain completely voluntary, because it attracts dedicated and talented mids, from freshmen to seniors, who do it for the experience, not for the credit.

The competition will end today, and NSA will tally the service academies' scores over the next two weeks, Naval Academy officials said.

Source : http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/04_20-70/NAV