INFOCON (short for information operations condition) is a threat level system in the United States similar to that of
FPCON
In United States military security parlance, force protection condition (FPCON for short) is a counter-terrorist threat system overseen by the United States Department of Defense directive, and describes the number of measures needed to be taken b ...
. It is a defense system based primarily on the status of information systems and is a method used by the military to defend against a computer network attack.
Description
There are five levels of INFOCON, which recently changed to more closely correlate to
DEFCON
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. (DEFCON is not mentioned in the 2010 and newer document)
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and spe ...
levels. They are:
*INFOCON 5 describes a situation where there is no apparent hostile activity against computer networks. Operational performance of all information systems is monitored, and password systems are used as a layer of protection.
*INFOCON 4 describes an increased risk of attack. Increased monitoring of all network activities is mandated, and all
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
end user
In product development, an end user (sometimes end-user) is a person who ultimately uses or is intended to ultimately use a product. The end user stands in contrast to users who support or maintain the product, such as sysops, system administrat ...
s must make sure their systems are secure.
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
usage may be restricted to government sites only, and backing up files to
removable media
Expandable storage is a form of computer storage that is designed to be inserted and removed from a system. Some forms of removable media, such as optical discs, require a reader to be installed in the computer, while others, such as USB flash dri ...
is ideal.
*INFOCON 3 describes when a risk has been identified. Security review on important systems is a priority, and the
Computer Network Defense Computer network operations (CNO) is a broad term that has both military and civilian application. Conventional wisdom is that information is power, and more and more of the information necessary to make decisions is digitized and conveyed over an e ...
system's alertness is increased. All unclassified
dial-up
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to establish a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) by dialing a telephone number on a conventional telepho ...
connections are disconnected.
*INFOCON 2 describes when an attack has taken place but the Computer Network Defense system is not at its highest alertness. Non-essential networks may be taken offline, and alternate methods of communication may be implemented.
*INFOCON 1 describes when attacks are taking place and the Computer Network Defense system is at maximum alertness. Any compromised systems are isolated from the rest of the network.
Similar concepts in private-sector computing
ThreatCon (Symantec)
Symantec's ThreatCon service no longer exists.
Broadcom
Broadcom Inc. is an American designer, developer, manufacturer and global supplier of a wide range of semiconductor and infrastructure software products. Broadcom's product offerings serve the data center, networking, software, broadband, wirel ...
has acquired Symantec.
In popular culture
In the TV Series, ''
Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'' , the US government goes to INFOCON 2 when Francis Gibson has a massive cyber attack initiated upon the United States, nearly bringing it to war with China.
See also
*
Alert state
An alert state or state of alert is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a state against natural disasters, terrorism or military attack. The term frequently used is "on high alert". Examples scales i ...
*
Attack (computing)
A cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, or personal computer devices. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricted ...
*
LERTCON In United States military doctrine, LERTCON is an abbreviation of alert condition, and is a measure of the level of action and readiness to be taken in a given situation. LERTCON is used by US and Allied forces who are assigned to NATO. There are sp ...
*
DEFCON
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. (DEFCON is not mentioned in the 2010 and newer document)
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and spe ...
*
EMERGCON
EMERGCON (emergency condition) is a state of readiness that is separate from DEFCON, or defense readiness condition used by the United States, in that it incorporates civilian measures in addition to the DEFCON military measures.
Overview
Generall ...
*
FPCON
In United States military security parlance, force protection condition (FPCON for short) is a counter-terrorist threat system overseen by the United States Department of Defense directive, and describes the number of measures needed to be taken b ...
(THREATCON)
*
Threat (computer)
In computer security, a threat is a potential negative action or event facilitated by a vulnerability that results in an unwanted impact to a computer system or application.
A threat can be either a negative " intentional" event (i.e. hacking: ...
*
References
{{cite journal
, author = Strategic Command Directive (SD) 527-1
, title = Department of Defense (DOD) Information Operations Condition (INFOCON) System Procedures
, publisher = DISA Policy and Guidance , date = 2006-01-27
, url = http://info.publicintelligence.net/StrategicCommandDirective527-1_27JAN2006InformationOperationsCondition-INFOCON-System.pdf
, format = PDF , accessdate=2009-09-27
Alert measurement systems