PGibson
11 Apr 09
4:40pm
Cyberspies from other countries (such as China and Russia) have hacked into the U.S. electrical grid and installed malicious software that could result in power outages and system disruptions. Remote attacks such as these could threaten not only electrical systems but could potentially affect systems such as water, nuclear power plants, etc. Such an attack could result in the disruption or complete collapse of the country’s infrastructure. President Obama has ordered an extensive cyber-security review, and new laws governing networked infrastructure may be on the horizon, in response to threats on the national security. Cyberattacks are not just a local problem but are occurring to several regions outside of the U.S. as well. IT security professionals believe that the connection of sensitive networks to the internet will surely result in exposure to security problems. Although security professionals have warned authorities about the risks, the balancing factor of consideration is cost, which is the main reason for utilizing on-line networking.
It’s probably no surprise that the new frontiers of war and terrorism may be on-line. The ability to hack into and affect infrastructure in such an adverse fashion is no longer an imaginative science fiction scenario. The potential implications for a region to be so adversely affected, and results ranging from minor chaos to complete paralysis of an entire nation are both grave and terrifying. The current state of the economy doesn’t offer easy solutions to this matter either when the security professionals believe that it comes down to bad business decisions who’s later repercussions may be even more costly. It’s a new era of global importance and one which will undoubtedly see growing pains, scrutiny, potential regulations, and the need for communities to work together.
http://www.crn.com/security/216403568
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