US displayed a simulated large-scale cyber attack at an event in Washington, which revealed that the country is ill-prepared to deal with such a threat. This Cyber ShockWave simulation aimed at highlighting the immediate dangers of cyber-terrorism, said organisers Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).

The exercise was developed by former CIA director general Michael Hayden and the BPC's National Security Preparedness Group. A group of former senior administration and national security officials playing the roles of Cabinet members were faced with a crippled mobile phone network and electricity grid. They were tasked with advising the president and mounting a real-time response to the attack as intelligence was received and to discuss lessons learned after the event.

The panel agreed that cyber-terrorism is a national security issue that needs to be addressed quickly in a bipartisan manner, said Eileen McMenamin, vice-president of communications at the BPC.