Following a breakdown in diplomatic relations with Venezuela and large anti-U.S. demonstrations across that country, a massive distributed denial of service attack immobilized five of the largest U.S. banks. As a result, tens of millions of American citizens cannot access their account information or, in most cases, utilize their bank credit or debit cards. This has led to a loss of confidence in the financial sector, large scale disruptions to the national economy, and widespread angst among the American public.
The National Security Council has immediately re-prioritized effort within the Intelligence Community to focus on the cyber attacks. The FBI and Secret Service have opened criminal investigations. The Department of Homeland Security is working with the financial sector to respond to and recover from the attacks. And, the military services are on high alert and awaiting orders.
You are the President's senior cyber advisor. The President requests that you prepare a 6-8 page memorandum (Times New Roman, 12-point, double spaced) outlining possible courses of action in light of this attack, including
(a) what should the top requirements be for intelligence collection and analysis about the attack;
(b) is attribution possible, and if so what should he tell the American public and the international community about the attackers; and,
(c) what should the government do in response to the attack?