Distributed StealthNet (D-SN): Creating a live, virtual, constructive (LVC) environment for simulating cyber-attacks for test and evaluation (T&E)

The Services have become increasingly dependent on their tactical networks for mission command functions, situational awareness, and target engagements (terminal weapon guidance). While the network brings an unprecedented ability to project force by all echelons in a mission context, it also brings the increased risk of cyber-attack on the mission operation. With both this network use and vulnerability in mind, it is necessary to test new systems (and networked Systems of Systems (SoS)) in a cyber-vulnerable network context. A new test technology, Distributed-StealthNet (D-SN), has been created by the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) to support SoS testing with cyber-attacks against mission threads. D-SN is a simulation/emulation based virtual environment that can provide a representation of a full scale tactical network deployment (both Radio Frequency (RF) segments and wired networks at command posts). D-SN has models of real world cyber threats that affect live tactical systems and networks. D-SN can be integrated with live mission Command and Control (C2) hardware and then a series of cyber-attacks using these threat models can be launched against the virtual network and the live hardware to determine the SoS´s resiliency to sustain the tactical mission. This paper describes this new capability and the new technologies developed to support this capability.