Cyber Defense Simulation Trainer Demonstration Published July 20, 2009 By Dr. Joseph Weeks Human Effectiveness Directorate WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Researchers demonstrated the AFRL-developed Cyber Defense Simulation Trainer (CYDEST) to the Director of Human Resources and Training (Assistant Secretary of Defense/National Information Infrastructure, Defense-Wide Information Assurance Program), as well as to members of the Defense Information Systems Agency's Field Security Operations Division and several representatives of the Secretary of the Air Force. The future implementation of CYDEST looks promising, as event participants expressed appreciation for the demonstration and conveyed interest in a follow-up meeting for discussing game-based approaches to information assurance education and training. CYDEST is an emerging, Web-enabled training capability designed to provide tactical-level exercises in network defense and information assurance. Accordingly, it leverages existing virtualization technology to create virtual networks, network devices, and processors, all of which are hosted on a single physical processor. This approach not only reduces instructor manning requirements, but decreases the amount of actual classroom space needed for setting up training devices in the form of multiple physical networks. Training scenarios, created using a virtual network representing the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, assist in teaching appropriate network defense responses to denial of service incidents and insider threat attacks.