What would we do if we woke up one day to discover that all of the critical infrastructure we have come to rely upon for our daily living, such as running water, electricity, and communications systems, had come under cyber attack and were either shut down, malfunctioning, or under the control of an enemy nation or terrorists? A better question may be: what are the security forces of the countries in which we live doing to thwart such a doomsday scenario from playing out, and can it be prevented?
A devastating cyber attack unleashed against the United States has left computer systems that run major US utilities and communications networks under enemy control. No one can yet be certain who the culprit is. Is it Iran still smarting over the joint US-Israeli attack that leveled its nuclear facilities to the ground? Is it China in an act of revenge against President Mitt Romney for leveling crippling trade sanctions? Or was it a North Korean sneak attack — a modern-day Pearl Harbor — to blackmail the United States to withdraw its troops from South Korea? The American people aren’t as interested in assigning blame as they are in having essential services restored but from the looks of the devastation it doesn’t seem as if life will ever return to normal.
It is now three days after the attack which began at the start of a long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Potable water has stopped flowing. Water treatment plants have been rendered inoperable and raw sewage is seeping into lakes and streams. Public health officials are worried about potential outbreaks of dysentery cholera or hepatitis but there is no way to warn the public because the cyber attack took down communications systems nationwide.
Passengers are still stranded between stations in stifling subway cars and commuter trains. Airports are closed because the air traffic control system is infested with Stuxnet. Banks and stock exchanges will not reopen after the holiday weekend. Need some cash? Forget about it. All ATM systems are down. Credit cards can’t be verified. There are two new currencies: barter and theft. In some neighborhoods chaos rules the streets as people loot their neighbors’ homes. Gun shops are raided and pharmacies targeted by people desperate for medications.
While these scenes may seem better suited to a modern-day horror movie smaller-scale cyber attacks aimed at critical infrastructure are being perpetrated and defended against almost every day.
Create a free account to keep reading.
