OUR GREATEST VULNERABILITY TO TERRORISTS?

Read Alan's comments at the end of this article. By Noah Shachtman http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/hackers-take-do.html Earlier this week, the nation's chief spy screeched about of the danger of cyber attacks -- and the need to monitor what everyone does online, in response. Now, the CIA has made an usually public warning about the perils that network strikes can pose. Hackers have tried to extort money from overseas utility companies. At least in one case, the Washington Post reports, the online attackers messed with an electrical grid, disrupting ing power in several cities. "We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet," Tom Donahue, the CIA's top cybersecurity analyst, told a New Orleans trade conference... He did not specify where or when the attacks took place, their duration or the amount of money demanded. Little said the agency would not comment further... Cyber extortion is a growing threat in the United States, and attackers have radically increased their take from online gambling sites, e-commerce sites and banks, which pay the money to prevent sites from being shut down and to keep the public from knowing their sites have been penetrated, said Alan Paller, research director at the SANS Institute, the cybersecurity education group that sponsored the meeting. "The CIA wouldn't have changed its policy on disclosure if it wasn't important," Paller said. "Donahue wouldn't have said it publicly if he didn't think the threat was very large and that companies needed to fix things right now." The AP notes that "last year, the Homeland Security Department produced a video showing commands quietly triggered by simulated hackers having such a violent reaction that an enormous generator shudders as it flies apart and belches black-and-white smoke." The recorded demonstration, called the "Aurora Generator Test," was conducted in March by government researchers investigating a dangerous vulnerability in computers at U.S. utility companies known as supervisory control and data acquisition systems. The programming flaw was fixed, and equipment makers urged utilities to take protective measures. UPDATE: Former spook Michael Tanji writes in to say: Having worked with Tom Donahue on these and related issues in the past, I regret to inform conspiracy theorists that he is virulently allergic to hyperbole. That he might be making these statements lightly are about as likely as any sane person playing Russian roulette with a semi-auto pistol. I’ve long been a skeptic of claims about being able to shut down the world from the ‘Net, since doctored exercises are not real life (among other reasons), but after today I’m starting to come around to the idea that the ignorance or intransigence of utility system owners just might merit a more robust response than has been undertaken to date. Alan Note: two main activities paralyzed the country and helped incite the populus to revolt against the late Shah in Iran in 1978/79. First was oil workers going on "strike" and creating fuel shortages, specially heating/cooking kerosene supplies, liquid gas for the more modern households AND electricity blackouts for long hourse every day and night. Apart from food spoiling in refrigerators, the discomfort of the population without TV, Radio and lights helped speed the discontent. In the USA, where the whole system of living depends on computers, many without back up generators. With distribution of life's necessities depending on electricity to reach our stores or doorsteps, where gas stations need electricity to provide gas for our cars, the NATIONAL electricity grid will be our Achilles Heel. Grids require a "balance" of power in their neighboring ones and if these do not synchronize and create "dissonance", the grids cause each other to crash. Efforts made to prevent a series of disasterous power fluctuations from occuring have been focused on NATURALLY happening events - NOT artificially created imbalances by knocking down merely a relatively few high tension towers (very easy and most are unguarded and cannot be guarded) on parts of the grids. In my opinion, the blackouts in Canada and parts of the USA a couple of years ago were either tests of our electricity system and recovery by terrorists or perhaps by our own Homeland Security to evaluate the danger. I seem to remember some seized terrorist computers having detailed mapping of our grids and the site of each tower. There were even some arrests of individuals who attempted to fell towers. One apparently with just an axe. Regional bad weather has created blackouts but try to imagine this happening quickly all over the USA and perhaps Canada and Mexico and the impossible strain on repair rsources. Then think of what not having electricity for WEEKS might do to life in your comunity, city, State or Region. Think food, fuel of all kinds, comfort and "sanity" factors. With nobody able to help anymore than initially with hurricane Katrina. This time EVERY State would be hit not just one. And across every part of every State, not just coastal areas. While this clearly shows our vulnerability, it DOES NOT mean negotiate and appease terrorists! Or terror nations like Islamic Iran, Syria etc.