Code Red Scenario: Department of Public Services Crisis
Planning Resources
Scenario Details for IMs
Department of Public Services
State agency serving 2.5 million citizens, managing 40+ government service websites
Key Assets At Risk:
- Citizen service delivery
- Government operations
- National security implications
- Public trust
Business Pressure
- Tax filing deadline in 48 hours - citizen service disruption affects millions
- Government infrastructure compromised threatens national security
Cultural Factors
- Government agency delayed IIS patches during tax season to avoid disrupting critical citizen services
- Citizen service portals and government infrastructure share vulnerable web servers without proper security segmentation
- Government servers are now participating in coordinated attacks against other government and critical infrastructure targets
Opening Presentation
“It’s Tuesday morning at the Department of Public Services during the final 48 hours of tax season, with millions of citizens trying to file taxes and access government services online. Instead of tax portals and license renewal systems, government websites are displaying ‘HELLO! Welcome to http://www.worm.com! Hacked By Chinese!’ Federal cybersecurity agencies are calling because the state’s government servers are now attacking other government infrastructure across the internet.”
Initial Symptoms to Present:
Key Discovery Paths:
Detective Investigation Leads:
Protector System Analysis:
Tracker Network Investigation:
Communicator Stakeholder Interviews:
Mid-Scenario Pressure Points:
- Hour 1: 500,000 citizens unable to file taxes due to defaced government portals with 48-hour deadline approaching
- Hour 2: Federal agencies report state government servers attacking Department of Defense and critical infrastructure
- Hour 3: Governor’s office demands immediate restoration of citizen services and explanation of security failure
- Hour 4: News media reports government cybersecurity incident affecting citizen services and national security
Evolution Triggers:
- If response exceeds 24 hours, citizens miss tax filing deadline creating massive public service crisis
- If government network isolation fails, infection spreads to other agencies and classified systems
- If federal coordination is inadequate, government infrastructure continues participating in attacks against national security targets
Resolution Pathways:
Technical Success Indicators:
- Emergency patch deployment stops worm propagation across government web infrastructure
- Citizen services restored through secure backup systems maintaining tax filing deadline
- Government servers removed from coordinated attack network through federal cybersecurity coordination
Business Success Indicators:
- Government operations maintained with minimal impact on citizen services and tax season completion
- Public trust protected through transparent communication and professional incident management
- Federal relationships maintained through coordinated response and national security cooperation
Learning Success Indicators:
- Team understands government infrastructure’s critical role in national cybersecurity
- Participants recognize government cybersecurity responsibilities during critical service periods
- Group demonstrates coordination between citizen service delivery and national security obligations
Common IM Facilitation Challenges:
If National Security Implications Are Minimized:
“Your citizen service restoration is important, but Agent Park just reported that your government servers are attacking Department of Defense infrastructure. How does this change your response priorities and coordination requirements?”
If Citizen Impact Is Ignored:
“While you’re coordinating with federal agencies, Sarah has 500,000 citizens calling about tax filing with the deadline in 36 hours. How do you balance national security response with critical citizen service delivery?”
If Government Responsibility Is Overlooked:
“Captain Mitchell discovered that your compromised servers are attacking other state agencies and federal systems. How do you address your government’s role in attacking other government infrastructure?”
Success Metrics for Session:
Template Compatibility
Quick Demo (35-40 min)
- Rounds: 1
- Actions per Player: 1
- Investigation: Guided
- Response: Pre-defined
- Focus: Use the “Hook” and “Initial Symptoms” to quickly establish government services crisis. Present the “Guided Investigation Clues” at 5-minute intervals. Offer the “Pre-Defined Response Options” for the team to choose from. Quick debrief should focus on recognizing worm propagation patterns and government infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Lunch & Learn (75-90 min)
- Rounds: 2
- Actions per Player: 2
- Investigation: Guided
- Response: Pre-defined
- Focus: This template allows for deeper exploration of government cybersecurity challenges. Use the full set of NPCs to create realistic tax season pressures and national security concerns. The two rounds allow Code Red to spread affecting more government services, raising stakes. Debrief can explore balance between citizen services and national security obligations.
Full Game (120-140 min)
- Rounds: 3
- Actions per Player: 2
- Investigation: Open
- Response: Creative
- Focus: Players have freedom to investigate using the “Key Discovery Paths” as IM guidance. They must develop response strategies balancing citizen tax filing deadlines, government operations, national security implications, and federal agency coordination. The three rounds allow for full narrative arc including worm’s government-infrastructure-specific propagation and critical infrastructure attack participation.
Advanced Challenge (150-170 min)
- Rounds: 3
- Actions per Player: 2
- Investigation: Open
- Response: Creative
- Complexity: Add red herrings (e.g., legitimate government system updates causing unrelated service disruptions). Make containment ambiguous, requiring players to justify citizen-facing decisions with incomplete information. Remove access to reference materials to test knowledge recall of worm behavior and government security principles.
Quick Demo Materials (35-40 min)
Guided Investigation Clues
Clue 1 (Minute 5): “Government network forensics reveal Code Red worm exploiting IIS buffer overflow vulnerability in servers hosting 40+ citizen service websites. The memory-only worm is spreading autonomously through Department of Public Services infrastructure, defacing tax portals and government websites with ‘HELLO! Welcome to http://www.worm.com! Hacked By Chinese!’ messages during final 48 hours of tax season.”
Clue 2 (Minute 10): “Federal cybersecurity monitoring shows infected government servers generating massive internet scanning traffic and participating in coordinated attacks against Department of Defense and critical infrastructure targets. System assessment reveals the department delayed IIS patches during tax season to avoid disrupting critical citizen services, creating widespread vulnerability across government infrastructure serving 2.5 million citizens.”
Clue 3 (Minute 15): “Internet traffic analysis reveals Department of Public Services servers attacking other government agencies and federal systems across the internet. Captain Mitchell reports 500,000 citizens unable to file taxes with 36-hour deadline remaining, while Agent Park confirms FBI investigation of government infrastructure participating in potential national security threats through coordinated attack coordination.”
Pre-Defined Response Options
Option A: Emergency IIS Patching & Federal Coordination
- Action: Immediately deploy emergency IIS patches to all government web servers, isolate infected systems from internet to stop coordinated attacks, restore citizen services from secure backups, coordinate with federal cybersecurity agencies about national security threat cessation.
- Pros: Completely stops worm propagation and ends government participation in attacks against federal infrastructure; enables rapid citizen service restoration for tax filing deadline; demonstrates responsible government cybersecurity practices.
- Cons: Requires complete government web infrastructure patching affecting all 40+ citizen service websites temporarily; some citizen data from tax season may need restoration from backups.
- Type Effectiveness: Super effective against Worm type malmons like Code Red; memory-only worm is eliminated through reboot after patching.
Option B: Prioritized Service Restoration & Citizen Focus
- Action: Quarantine confirmed infected servers, implement prioritized restoration for critical tax filing and license renewal services first, maintain citizen services for unaffected portals while accelerating government-wide remediation and federal coordination.
- Pros: Allows continued citizen access to critical government services; protects tax filing deadline through service-prioritized recovery for most urgent citizen needs.
- Cons: Risks continued worm propagation in non-prioritized government infrastructure; department continues participating in attacks against federal systems during selective restoration; may affect non-essential services disproportionately.
- Type Effectiveness: Moderately effective against Worm threats; reduces but doesn’t eliminate worm presence or coordinated attack participation.
Option C: Complete Infrastructure Shutdown & National Security Priority
- Action: Perform immediate government infrastructure shutdown to eliminate worm and stop attacks against federal systems, coordinate with federal agencies about national security response, rapidly restore all citizen services simultaneously from backups with enhanced security controls.
- Pros: Fastest elimination of national security threat through immediate attack cessation; demonstrates government cybersecurity responsibility through coordinated federal response and information sharing.
- Cons: Requires complete government services downtime affecting all 2.5 million citizens simultaneously during tax season; citizens may miss tax filing deadline without alternative filing methods; doesn’t address underlying IIS vulnerability enabling future reinfection.
- Type Effectiveness: Partially effective against Worm malmon type; eliminates current infection but leaves vulnerability for rapid reinfection without proper patching.
Lunch & Learn Materials (75-90 min, 2 rounds)
Round 1: Discovery & Identification (30-35 min)
Investigation Clues:
- Clue 1 (Minute 5): Citizen Services Manager Patricia Williams reports hundreds of calls from citizens seeing defacement messages when trying to file taxes online during the final week before April 15th deadline. “Citizens can’t access tax filing, driver’s license renewal, or any of our 40+ government services!”
- Clue 2 (Minute 10): Government IT forensics reveal Code Red worm exploiting IIS buffer overflow in state portal infrastructure. The worm is autonomously spreading through government web servers, defacing citizen service pages with “HELLO! Welcome to http://www.worm.com! Hacked By Chinese!” during peak tax season.
- Clue 3 (Minute 15): State network monitoring shows infected government servers generating massive scanning traffic and participating in coordinated attacks against federal infrastructure including IRS systems and Department of Homeland Security networks.
- Clue 4 (Minute 20): IT Security Director Robert Martinez reveals that IIS patches were delayed to avoid disrupting critical tax season services. “We couldn’t risk downtime during the week before tax filing deadline when 2.5 million citizens need access.”
Response Options:
- Option A: Emergency Service Reboot - Immediately reboot all infected government servers to clear memory-only worm, restore citizen services from backups, delay comprehensive patching until after tax filing deadline.
- Pros: Fastest path to citizen service restoration; minimal tax season disruption; maintains filing deadline access for citizens.
- Cons: Doesn’t patch underlying IIS vulnerability; servers will be reinfected within hours; continues attacks on federal infrastructure.
- Type Effectiveness: Partially effective - clears current infection but leaves reinfection vector open.
- Option B: Prioritized Critical Services Patching - Patch tax filing and driver’s license renewal systems first (highest citizen demand), quarantine remaining infected services, restore in priority order.
- Pros: Protects most critical citizen services; balances security with public service mission; enables controlled restoration.
- Cons: Non-essential services remain compromised; differential service availability may affect vulnerable populations; partial federal attack participation continues.
- Type Effectiveness: Moderately effective - stops propagation in patched systems but worm remains active in others.
- Option C: Full Shutdown & Manual Filing - Isolate entire government portal from internet to stop federal attacks, provide manual/phone tax filing alternatives, defer digital service restoration until post-deadline.
- Pros: Stops attacks on federal infrastructure immediately; enables systematic patching; demonstrates government cybersecurity responsibility.
- Cons: Forces 2.5 million citizens to manual filing alternatives; overwhelms phone systems; elderly and disabled citizens face accessibility barriers.
- Type Effectiveness: Moderately effective - contains threat but shifts burden to citizens and alternative systems.
Round 2: Scope Assessment & Response (30-35 min)
Investigation Clues:
- Clue 5 (Minute 30): If Option A (reboot only) was chosen: Within 2 hours, government portal is reinfected. Federal agencies report state systems are attacking IRS and DHS infrastructure. “Department of Homeland Security is demanding explanation for attacks originating from state government networks.”
- Clue 5 (Minute 30): If Option B or C was chosen: Analysis shows tax filing services restored but 100,000 citizens unable to access driver’s license renewal, unemployment benefits, and social services during critical periods affecting vulnerable populations.
- Clue 6 (Minute 40): Forensics reveal worm has been resident in government infrastructure for 24 hours, allowing potential access to citizen data including social security numbers, driver’s license information, and tax records for 500,000 residents.
- Clue 7 (Minute 50): Governor’s office receives media inquiries about government data security and attacks on federal systems. “We need to demonstrate accountability to citizens and explain how their personal information is protected.”
- Clue 8 (Minute 55): Legal counsel advises that citizen data exposure requires breach notification under state and federal law. Tax filing deadline is 72 hours away and 200,000 citizens still haven’t filed.
Response Options:
- Option A: Emergency Full Remediation with Federal Coordination - Deploy comprehensive IIS patching across entire government infrastructure, coordinate with federal agencies on national security response, issue proactive citizen data exposure notification, extend tax filing deadline by 48 hours.
- Pros: Completely eliminates worm; demonstrates accountability through transparent citizen communication; federal coordination addresses national security concerns; deadline extension protects citizen needs.
- Cons: Brief downtime during critical tax week; acknowledges government security failure publicly; deadline extension requires legislative/gubernatorial action.
- Type Effectiveness: Super effective against Worm type - eliminates vulnerability and infection completely.
- Option B: Phased Recovery with Citizen Support - Continue prioritized remediation maintaining critical services, implement enhanced citizen support (extended hours, additional staff), provide detailed incident updates with data exposure assessment.
- Pros: Balances security with public service continuity; enhanced support helps vulnerable populations; demonstrates government responsiveness.
- Cons: Extended remediation timeline; some services remain vulnerable; differential access may affect disadvantaged citizens.
- Type Effectiveness: Moderately effective - progressive improvement but temporary exposure remains.
- Option C: Third-Party Support & Parallel Systems - Engage federal cybersecurity assistance (CISA), implement backup citizen service systems, conduct comprehensive forensic analysis of citizen data exposure while maintaining tax filing capability.
- Pros: Federal expertise accelerates response; backup systems maintain critical services; thorough citizen data assessment.
- Cons: Expensive federal support coordination; potential citizen data exposure to external agencies; admission of insufficient state capability.
- Type Effectiveness: Moderately effective - improves response quality but extends timeline and increases complexity.
Round Transition Narrative
After Round 1 → Round 2:
The team’s initial response determines whether government services quickly return to vulnerable operation (reboot approach) or maintain containment with significant citizen service impact (isolation/selective approaches). Either way, the situation escalates as federal agencies demand explanation for attacks, forensics reveals extensive citizen data exposure, media questions government cybersecurity practices, and the tax filing deadline approaches with hundreds of thousands of citizens still needing access. The team must balance complete security remediation with citizen service mission, federal coordination, data protection, and democratic accountability.
Full Game Materials (120-140 min, 3 rounds)
Investigation Sources Catalog
System Logs:
- IIS Server Logs: Buffer overflow exploitation patterns in government portal infrastructure, defacement timestamps during peak tax season citizen access
- State Network Logs: Massive scanning traffic from infected servers attacking federal systems (IRS, DHS, other agencies)
- Citizen Service Logs: 500,000 failed service access attempts during tax filing week, service disruption affecting vulnerable populations
- Key Discovery: Worm exploits IIS vulnerability that was identified but patching delayed to protect tax season citizen services
Email/Communications:
- Citizen Helpline Tickets: 2,000+ calls from citizens about defaced websites, inability to file taxes, driver’s license renewal failures
- Government IT Emails: Discussions about delaying IIS patches to avoid risking April 15th tax deadline - “We can’t disrupt services when citizens depend on government”
- Federal Communications: Messages from DHS and IRS reporting attacks from state government IP addresses, demanding immediate remediation
- Key Discovery: Management prioritized citizen service continuity over security patching during tax season, creating vulnerability window
Interviews (NPCs):
- Governor Michael Chen: “We chose to serve citizens first - keep tax filing online during the busiest week. How do I explain that this decision led to attacks on federal systems?”
- Robert Martinez (IT Security): “I warned about the vulnerability, but nobody wanted service downtime during tax season. Now we’re attacking the IRS while citizens are trying to file taxes.”
- Patricia Williams (Citizen Services): “I have citizens who can’t file taxes, renew licenses, or access unemployment benefits. Vulnerable populations - elderly, disabled, non-English speakers - are disproportionately affected.”
- Jennifer Harrison (Legal Counsel): “We have 500,000 citizen social security numbers potentially exposed. State and federal breach laws require notification, but that triggers panic right before tax deadline.”
- Key Insights: Tension between public service mission and security needs, government’s duty to vulnerable populations, federal-state coordination complexity
System Analysis:
- Government Infrastructure Forensics: Code Red worm resident in state portal servers, autonomous propagation through citizen service infrastructure
- Vulnerability Assessment: 40+ government websites running vulnerable IIS versions, patch deployment delayed by 3 weeks during tax season
- Citizen Data Analysis: Potential exposure of social security numbers, driver’s license data, tax information, unemployment records for 500,000 residents
- Key Discovery: 24-hour worm dwell time during peak tax season means extensive citizen personal information potentially accessible
Network Traffic:
- Outbound Scanning: Infected government servers systematically scanning internet for IIS vulnerabilities, attacking federal government infrastructure
- Federal Attack Patterns: State systems participating in coordinated attacks against IRS tax filing systems and DHS networks
- Citizen Service Disruption: 200,000 citizens unable to file taxes with 72 hours until deadline, disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations
- Key Discovery: Government’s attacks on federal infrastructure create national security concerns and federal-state relationship strain
External Research:
- Federal Cybersecurity Guidance: CISA advisories about state and local government vulnerabilities, federal-state incident coordination protocols
- Citizen Impact: Tax deadline pressure affects 2.5 million state residents, service disruptions disproportionately harm vulnerable populations (elderly, disabled, limited English)
- Democratic Accountability: Government data breaches undermine citizen trust in democratic institutions, public sector cybersecurity standards
- Key Insights: Government has special obligation to vulnerable populations, federal-state coordination required for national security, democratic accountability standards differ from private sector
Response Evaluation Criteria
Type-Effective Approaches:
- Worm Containment: Infrastructure isolation stops propagation and federal attacks, memory clearing eliminates current infection, vulnerability patching prevents reinfection
- Citizen Data Protection: Immediate containment limits exposure, forensic analysis determines what was accessible, transparent notification maintains democratic trust
- Super Effective: Combined infrastructure patching + service restoration + federal coordination + transparent citizen notification eliminates threat and maintains public trust
Common Effective Strategies:
- Immediate Infrastructure Isolation: Disconnect vulnerable servers from internet to stop federal attacks and worm spread
- Emergency Patching: Deploy IIS security updates across entire government infrastructure
- Citizen Service Restoration: Restore portal services from pre-infection backups to meet tax deadline
- Federal Agency Coordination: Work with CISA, IRS, DHS on national security response and information sharing
- Transparent Citizen Communication: Proactive breach notification demonstrates democratic accountability and protects citizen trust
Common Pitfalls:
- Reboot Without Patching: Temporary tax season service recovery but immediate reinfection continues federal attacks
- Service-Prioritized Selective Restoration: Helps majority but abandons vulnerable populations who depend on all government services
- Delayed Citizen Notification: Waiting to understand full scope violates breach laws and damages democratic trust when citizens learn government concealed exposure
- Inadequate Vulnerable Population Support: Failing to provide accessible alternatives (phone, in-person, language support) for citizens unable to use online services
- Ignoring Federal Coordination: Focusing only on state services while attacking federal infrastructure strains federal-state relationships and creates national security concerns
Adjudicating Novel Approaches:
Hybrid Solutions (Encourage with Guidance):
- “We’ll coordinate tax deadline extension while patching infrastructure” → “Yes, and… that protects citizens and enables proper security. What’s the process for gubernatorial/legislative deadline extension? How do you communicate to 2.5 million residents?”
- “We’ll work with federal agencies on coordinated response and threat intelligence sharing” → “Yes, and… excellent federal-state coordination thinking. What information sharing protocols does CISA use? How do you balance transparency with operational security?”
- “We’ll implement backup citizen services through partnering counties while remediating state infrastructure” → “Yes, and… creative inter-governmental collaboration. How do you ensure partner counties have capacity? What data sharing agreements enable this?”
Creative But Problematic (Redirect Thoughtfully):
- “We’ll keep services offline until after tax deadline to do thorough patching” → “That ensures complete security, but Patricia reports 200,000 citizens haven’t filed taxes yet. How do elderly citizens without computers file? What happens to citizens who miss the deadline?”
- “We’ll notify only affected citizens about data exposure, not issue public statement” → “That limits panic, but government breach laws require public disclosure. How do you maintain democratic accountability while managing public communication?”
- “We’ll prioritize tax services and let non-critical services stay compromised” → “That serves the majority, but what about citizens needing unemployment benefits, disability services, or license renewals? Does government have special obligation to vulnerable populations?”
Risk Assessment Framework:
- Low Risk Solutions: Full infrastructure patching + comprehensive service restoration + federal coordination + transparent citizen notification → Encourage and approve
- Medium Risk Solutions: Phased remediation + prioritized citizen support + enhanced vulnerable population assistance → Approve with breach law compliance verification
- High Risk Solutions: Quick fixes + delayed notification + selective service restoration → Challenge with democratic accountability and vulnerable population impacts
Advanced Challenge Materials (150-170 min, 3 rounds)
Investigation Sources WITH Complexity
Base Evidence Sources: [Same as Full Game catalog above]
Subtle Evidence Layer:
- Citizen Data Exposure Ambiguity: Evidence of worm accessing government databases could be random propagation OR deliberate exploitation targeting citizen records - requires deep forensics to distinguish automated behavior from potential attacker data theft
- Vulnerable Population Impact Assessment: Determining which citizens face severe harm from service disruption requires understanding accessibility needs, language barriers, technology access - not visible in service logs alone
- Federal Coordination Timeline: Multiple communication threads with different federal agencies (CISA, IRS, DHS) discussing vulnerability at different times - requires analysis to determine when federal awareness occurred and what obligations triggered
- Breach Notification Scope: Determining which citizens must be notified requires legal analysis of state and federal laws, what data was “accessible” vs “accessed”, and whether potential exposure triggers notification obligations
Red Herrings:
- Planned Tax Season Scaling: Government IT automatically scales infrastructure for April 15th traffic surge - some server configurations and restarts are legitimate tax season preparation, not worm activity
- Citizen Portal Migration: State initiated migration to new portal software during tax season (bad timing) - some service disruptions are from migration issues, not worm defacement
- Previous Tax Season Outage: Two years ago, different issue caused portal disruption during tax week - creates confusion about whether current incident is recurring problem or new vulnerability
- Political Speculation: Opposition party politicians initially speculate about government incompetence or deliberate sabotage - misdirection from actual technical worm propagation
Expert-Level Insights:
- Federal-State Security Interdependence: Recognizing that state government attacking federal infrastructure threatens national security beyond just technical incident - federal-state relationships and trust are at stake
- Vulnerable Population Disproportionate Impact: Understanding that government service disruptions disproportionately harm elderly, disabled, non-English speakers, low-income citizens who lack alternative access methods - democratic equity obligation
- Democratic Accountability Standards: Recognizing that government security failures undermine citizen trust in democratic institutions differently than private sector breaches - transparency and accountability standards are higher
- Tax Season Vulnerability Window: Understanding that public sector systematically deprioritizes security during peak service periods (tax season, elections, benefit enrollment) - reveals government-wide security culture pattern
Response Evaluation with Innovation Requirements
Standard Approaches (Baseline):
- Isolate infrastructure to stop propagation and federal attacks
- Deploy emergency IIS patches across government systems
- Restore citizen services from backups
- Assess citizen data exposure
- Notify affected residents per breach laws
Why Standard Approaches Are Insufficient:
- Vulnerable Population Obligation: Standard “service disruption” approach doesn’t account for government’s special duty to provide accessible services to elderly, disabled, non-English speakers - requires innovative accessible alternatives
- Democratic Accountability Standards: Standard breach notification doesn’t address government’s higher transparency obligations and citizen trust requirements - requires innovative accountability communication approach
- Federal-State Coordination Complexity: Standard incident response doesn’t account for federal national security concerns and federal-state relationship implications - requires innovative inter-governmental coordination
- Tax Deadline Pressure: Standard remediation timeline conflicts with immovable April 15th tax deadline affecting 2.5 million citizens - requires creative deadline management or legislative action
- Public Sector Resource Constraints: Standard external support approach may not be available to state government with budget limitations - requires creative use of federal assistance and inter-governmental resources
Innovation Required:
Accessible Alternative Service Delivery:
- Creative Approach Needed: Rapidly deploy multi-channel citizen service alternatives (phone banks with translation, in-person assistance at libraries, mobile service units) to ensure vulnerable populations can access government services during remediation
- Evaluation Criteria: Can alternatives be deployed within tax deadline? Do they serve citizens with disabilities, language barriers, technology limitations? What inter-agency coordination is needed?
Democratic Accountability Communication:
- Creative Approach Needed: Develop citizen communication strategy that meets legal notification requirements while maintaining democratic trust - emphasize government transparency, accountability actions, and citizen protection measures
- Evaluation Criteria: Does communication demonstrate democratic accountability? Are vulnerable populations reached through appropriate channels? Does messaging balance transparency with panic prevention?
Federal-State Security Coordination:
- Creative Approach Needed: Transform state security failure into federal-state collaboration opportunity - work with CISA on coordinated response, share threat intelligence, potentially pilot federal assistance program for state/local government cybersecurity
- Evaluation Criteria: Does approach address federal national security concerns? Is information sharing appropriate for federal-state relationship? Can incident drive systemic government cybersecurity improvements?
Legislative Deadline Extension Process:
- Creative Approach Needed: Develop rapid legislative or gubernatorial action to extend tax filing deadline for affected citizens while maintaining federal tax code compliance - requires legal, legislative, and executive coordination
- Evaluation Criteria: Is deadline extension legally feasible? What federal IRS coordination is required? How do you communicate extension to 2.5 million residents quickly?
Network Security Status Tracking
Initial State (100%):
- 40+ citizen service websites serving 2.5 million state residents
- Tax filing deadline week: peak citizen demand, democratic service obligation
- IIS vulnerability known but patching delayed for tax season continuity
Degradation Triggers:
- Hour 0-6: Initial worm infection spreads through government infrastructure (-20% per hour unchecked during tax week)
- Hour 6-12: Citizen services defaced, 500,000 residents unable to access government portals (-15% per hour citizen service capability)
- Hour 12-24: Government systems attack federal infrastructure (IRS, DHS), creating national security concerns (-20% per hour federal-state trust)
- Hour 24-48: Citizen data exposure discovered, vulnerable populations disproportionately affected (-15% per hour democratic trust)
- Hour 48-72: Tax deadline approaches, breach notification laws triggered, media questions government accountability (-10% per hour political viability)
Recovery Mechanisms:
- Infrastructure Isolation: Stops propagation and federal attacks (+40% containment, -40% citizen service availability)
- Emergency IIS Patching: Prevents reinfection (+50% security, -20% service availability during deployment)
- Citizen Service Restoration: Returns portal capability (+40% service availability, requires secure baseline)
- Accessible Alternative Services: Maintains vulnerable population access during remediation (+25% equity, requires rapid deployment)
- Federal Coordination: Addresses national security concerns and enables assistance (+30% federal-state trust, requires inter-governmental collaboration)
- Transparent Citizen Notification: Maintains democratic accountability and trust (+25% citizen trust, potential -15% short-term political impact)
Critical Thresholds:
- Below 60% Security: Worm continues spreading, federal attacks escalate, citizen data exposure grows, reinfection cycle established
- Below 50% Citizen Service: Vulnerable populations face severe access barriers, democratic service obligation compromised, tax deadline jeopardized
- Below 40% Federal Trust: Federal agencies restrict state system access, national security concerns escalate, federal-state relationship strained
- Below 30% Democratic Accountability: Citizen trust in government cybersecurity damaged, political consequences materialize, democratic legitimacy questioned
Consequences:
- Excellent Response (>80% across metrics): Tax deadline met with accessible alternatives, vulnerability eliminated, federal coordination demonstrates inter-governmental cybersecurity leadership, democratic accountability maintained through transparency
- Good Response (60-80%): Majority of citizens served through multiple channels, vulnerability addressed, federal coordination adequate, democratic trust maintained with minor damage
- Adequate Response (40-60%): Significant service disruption but vulnerable populations eventually served, security improved but trust damaged, federal-state relationship requires repair
- Poor Response (<40%): Widespread citizen service failure affecting vulnerable populations, tax deadline missed, federal-state relationship strained, democratic trust in government cybersecurity severely damaged