Cyberattacks could paralyze U.S., former defense chief warns

  • 11 March 2014
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As the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta delivered strong warnings about the risks of cyberattacks on the country. His conviction that a possible "cyber Pearl Harbor" may be looming has not tempered since leaving the post last year.

In fact, Panetta today said that the risk of a major cyberattack against the nation's infrastructure is "the most serious threat in the 21st century."

Speaking at the Symantec Government Symposium here Tuesday, Panetta said such an attack could "devastate our critical infrastructure and paralyze our nation." He compared the potential disruption nationally to what hurricane Sandy accomplished on the East Coast in 2012.

"We have to take steps to better defend ourselves against this threat," Panetta told an audience of government IT managers and security specialists, as well as federal contractors.
 
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I think this warning could be equally aimed at most countries in the world and it is probably only a matter of time as well until it happens with the way the internet has interwoven itself into the fabric of our lives.

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The following article is a update
 

(NSA chief worries most about cyberattacks on industrial systems)

By Jeremy Kirk
IDG News Service | Nov 20, 2014 6:23 PM PT
 
Multiple nation-states are investing in their capabilities to hack critical U.S. infrastructure, making defense of those networks a top priority, U.S. National Security Agency chief Admiral Mike Rogers said Thursday.
 
Attackers are seeking detailed information on how industrial control systems work, including obtaining engineering schematics and information on how such systems are configured, said Rogers, who spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Such information could allow hackers to shut down "very segmented, very tailored" parts of networks, such as turning off power turbines, Rogers said.
 
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