For the new generation of hackers, cyberwarfare will consist of getting pulled into a world of virtual reality, just like a video game. Professionals at the Pentagon are testing Oculus Rift to be strategically used as a future battle tactic in an effort to combat cyber-attacks.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been developing a software platform called Plan X that enables digital attacks and defense mechanisms that U.S. government-enlisted hackers can use. This system that is currently in its testing stage as it will provide 3D network simulations that could prepare hackers for cyber-attacks. Oculus Rift enables tech gurus to take a look around the data as opposed to looking at it from a 2D-angle when hacking networks. This 3D approach will benefit the cyber military giving them a sixth sense when approaching a virtual network-simulated cyber-attack. In a statement, Plan X’s manager Frank Pound noted that when you use this system, “It’s like you’re swimming in the Internet.”
The trial version that is currently being tested is fastened with motion-sensing Razer Hydra technology and paired with controllers used for navigational purposes. When using this system, the user will be able to select from an array of missions that are shown as a vast web of computers. Once a mission is chosen, the user is asked to perform particular actions, such as checking in on a network for issues or analyzing weaknesses present in the target. All tools possible to assist with the completion of these missions are located in a panel of on-screen icons. The cyberwarrior is then catapulted to battle it out in the virtual world combating attacks from the opponent.
This setup was created by San Francisco’s Frog Design and software company Intific, and has so far been considered proof-of-concept technology. DARPA is completely interested in using this software for future endeavors, as this concept has been presented to Congress and the Pentagon’s Joint Chief of Staffs. This technology will possibly be used for cyberwarfare by hackers and the U.S. Cyber Command system once the Plan X software is fully developed. Using Oculus Rift for cyberwar will also cater to the rising generation of hackers who are fully schooled in all departments of high tech. In 2017, it is anticipated that Plan X will be employed by the U.S. government for official use.
Story via Wired
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