The Internet Storm Center (ISC) is a group which monitors the level of activity on the Internet, particularly with regards to large-scale slowdowns or stoppages.
The ISC began as an effort to monitor global Internet traffic, then known as the SANS Institute's Consensus Incident Database (CID). It collected security information from cooperating sites and agencies for mass analysis, beginning in November of 2000.
On March 22, 2001, the SANS CID was responsible for the early detection of the "Lion" worm attacks on various facilities. The quick warning and counter-efforts organized by the CID were instrumental in controlling the damage done by this worm, which otherwise might have been considerably worse.
The CID was renamed the "Internet Storm Center" in acknowledgement of its efficacy in reporting this attack, similar to the way a weather reporting center will detect and track an atmospheric storm and provide warnings. Since that time the ISC has expanded its monitoring operations; its website cites a figure of over three million "intrusion detection log entries" per day. It continues to provide analyses and alerts of security threats to the Internet community.
