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U.S. Defense Secretary Warns of a Possible 'Cyber-Pearl Harbor'
SpzToid writes "U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta has warned that the country is 'facing the possibility of a "cyber-Pearl Harbor" and [is] increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers who could dismantle the nation's power grid, transportation system, financial networks and government.' Countries such as Iran, China, and Russia are claimed to be motivated to conduct such attacks (though in at least Iran's case, it could be retaliation). Perhaps this is old news around here, even though Panetta is requesting new legislation from Congress. I think the following message from Richard Bejtlich is more wise and current: 'We would be much better served if we accepted that prevention eventually fails, so we need detection, response, and containment for the incidents that will occur.' Times do changes, even in the technology sector. Currently Congress is preoccupied with the failure of U.S. security threats in Benghazi, while maybe Leon isn't getting the press his recent message deserves?"
Honestly... does this come as any surprise to anyone on /.?
When I heard about Flame and Stuxnet it was as if every cyberfiction story I read in the 80's had finally come true. Mentally, I'm already prepared.
Bring on the onslaught of Jihadist Erectile Dysfunction Spam!
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
They just have to make all U.S. routers drop packets with the Evil bit set. Problem solved.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
So it would be a line noise attack?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
a false flag, just like the Gulf of Tolkien
Those middle-earth bastards sucked us in!
By cyber pearl harbor, does he mean that the attack will destroy obsolete equipment, leaving critical infrastructure and equipment safe while at the same time providing an excuse for the us government to start a war ?