Hundreds of computer experts from around the state sat in a crowded room at the Delaware State Troopers Association in Cheswold Oct. 29, laptops at the ready, when a large video screen at the front of the room flashed “Warning! Security breach!”

Soon, the teams would be bombarded with attacks from hackers, data miners and viruses seeking to corrupt or steal financial records and personal identification information from thousands of customers and taxpayers.

The groups of technicians from state agencies, law enforcement and private companies spent the rest of the day defusing the threats and tracking down the culprits, using all the high-tech tricks and know-how they could muster.

This time it was only a drill, but the fifth annual Cyber Security Exercise gave those who participated as close to a real-life situation as they could get.

Michael Hojnicki, chief customer officer of the state Department of Technology and Information, said the event was designed to test the plans set in place to protect the sensitive data found on the state’s computer networks.

“We’re evaluating how the agencies respond and we’re going to see how our plan performs,” he said. “The purpose is to challenge us to identify, respond to and resolve a cyber incident.”

As the test incident unfolds, teams are charged with keeping detailed records to serve as evidence against the perpetrators when and if they eventually are tracked down.

Throughout the day, video screens display mock newscasts about the event and public information officials attached to each team meet to coordinate the release of information related to the attack.

“We really try to give people the sense that it’s a real event,” Hojnicki said.

To preserve the authenticity of the exercise, only four people from DTI knew what threats would be sent out through the closed-circuit network set up for the event, Hojnicki said.

Those threats could be anything from a teenage hacker looking to disrupt the flow of information, to a tailor-made virus designed to duplicate sensitive data and send it to a particular location.

John Pasquale, a technician with the state Department of Health and Social Services, said the exercise is a perfect way to hone some important skills.

Pasquale has participated in each of the four previous drills, which are funded by money from the federal Department of Homeland Security.

“They’re great learning exercises for what’s going on with hackers, viruses and cyber security in general,” he said. “It’s a real hands-on experience.”

In his years in private industry, Pasquale said he wished there was a drill like this to help him and his colleagues prepare.

“In the private sector, we didn’t have anything like this,” he said. “We were flying by the seat of our pants.”

Delaware’s Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security Lou Schiliro said events like these are essential, especially in a time when law enforcement is trying to stay one step ahead of international terrorists and other criminals.

A former FBI agent, Schiliro said those who planned the drill use exactly the kind of foresight necessary to prevent an attack.

For example, he said, no one ever thought the Sept. 11 hijackers would come up with such an elaborate means to perpetrate a catastrophe.

“What this is about is closing the door in a whole other area,” he said. “We were criticized in the FBI and the number one thing they found was a failure of imagination. You have that with this exercise.”

Email Doug Denison at doug.denison@doverpost.com