November 10, 2009
By Holly Deyo
Without question, cyber attacks are the most underrated, under-reported and yet most crucial of stories. Their threat is real and growing, and understandably officials are worried.
Time and again, hackers have employed their skills by breaking into bank accounts, government computers, websites, utilities and infrastructure – both in the U.S. and in other nations. Malicious hacker code is already embedded in U.S. utilities lying there, waiting to be activated at some point in the future. With each attempt terrorists' skills sharpen. With each success, attacks broaden.
Silence is Golden, Ignorance is Fatal
News of these infiltrations is suppressed and only released to the public considerably after the fact. For example, it took two full years subsequent to the massive 2005 and 2007 Brazilian blackouts for the truth come out. Those power outages, which put millions of people in the dark were perpetrated by cyber terrorists. Now, November 11, 2009, another Brazilian blackout has put ten of millions in the dark. Will it come out later that this is a third practice run for power grid hackers?
Photo: 
Cars cross a freeway during a blackout in Sao Paolo November 11, 2009. A major electricity outage at the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, the world's largest operational electricity generator on the border with Paraguay, left tens of millions of people in Brazil's two largest cities of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro without power, according to the Brazilian director of the dam.
As frequently seen, news stories with a potential to negatively impact the economy or cause panic or major stress are leaked in dribs and drabs. It is as though we can say, "Well, we slid through that crisis without a scrach." It gives us a Superman complex – we can deflect any problem.
These 'leaks' are most often made on Fridays, late at night or near holidays and during August, the month when many Americans focus on vacations. The expectation is that people will be caught up in the coming weekend fun or holiday festivities, overwhelmed by the daily pace and tuned out to news. It is hoped we won't hook these information fragments together and see an ugly pattern forming. This is especially true since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. It might rock the economy, which was already poised for recession. That is government's biggest concern and if we take a few knocks in the process, at least the dollar holds onto its still-tenuous position.
Infrastructure – Our Achilles' Heel
It is inevitable that such an irresistible magnet – our infrastructure – will be targeted. This realization should keep you awake at night and more productively, spur you to action. North Korea has hacked 26 sites including the White House, State Department, Secret Service and New York Stock Exchange. China and Russia have probed and penetrated the U.S. electric grid. That Russians infiltrated the Pentagon – the supposed 'Fort Knox of government' one year ago this month should tell you that crashing our infrastructure is within their reach.
An infrastructure attack is NOT speculation. It has already been attempted and successfully accomplished. Read the stories above for a refresher. Terrorists rarely execute plots without implementing trial runs. We were probed last year and found penetrable. Do you feel naked and exposed?
A 'next attack' is coming to America. Count on it. And the Obama Administration's race for a Smart Grid leaves us more at risk than ever. It doesn't matter where the strike originates – disgruntled employees, homegrown terrorists, Russian, Chinese or North Korean hackers, or Muslim extremists. The result would be catastrophic.
The November 5 massacre at Ft. Hood should make it clear that we are still in terrorists' cross hairs. If that's not enough, consider the FIVE terrorism plots exposed this September in New York, Colorado, North Carolina, Dallas and Illinois. Suspicious activity was also reported in Philadelphia. With good reason the FBI is watching for ‘homegrown' terrorists.
Just Close Your Eyes
People ignore this threat for four reasons:
1. We think it can never happen. Because it's relatively virgin territory, we've had little experience with the consequences and erroneously believe it's a non-issue. Look at the evidence above to see it's already happening.
2. Out of sight, out of mind. This type disaster isn't like an earthquake or hurricane. We don't feel the rumble of shifting ground, hear the roar of a tornado or experience the devastating winds and floods of a major storm. When the effects of cyber-terrorism become apparent, it will be too late. It is the silent tsunami.
3. Government will "fix it". This is probably the most dangerous and false assumptions. Our Federal government is broke. There is no money. Period. Beginning with the Bush Administrations, government spent money with extreme carelessness, but they pale compared to the administration currently at the helm. There's no money in Social Security and the FDIC is "iffy". They've promised massive entitlements and programs with no way to fund them.
If we had cash to spend – as a country – government would have upgraded our antiquated electric grid years ago. However, it is a monumental and daunting job to change over the network of generators and millions of miles of wires that crisscross the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This system dating back to the 1950's is teetering on crutches. When another Katrina-magnitude emergency strikes – and it will – those people will be at the mercy of generous friends and countrymen because the Feds will be too broke or too busy to send aid.
4. It seems too big, therefore do nothing. But you can!
What You Can Do
A full-scale attack will be devastating, but you can mitigate the effects. To do nothing would be regrettable especially when solutions are relatively simple for the individual.
Disasters come and go. Most people survive, some don't. Much depends on how carefully people prepare – psychologically, physically and spiritually. The effects of a cyber attack could stick around for a very long time so think in terms of "normal prep", but longer. If you're stuck on even the basics, a massive website of FREE prep material is made available to you.
This isn't as daunting a task as it might seem. Think 'small steps' and build on what you've already accomplished. If you haven't started, get busy. Hopefully you already have food and water, medicines and hygiene items set aside. From that point, you need to consider interim power.
Baby, It's Cold Outside
The majority of people have zero alternative measures to keep warm, to power even minimum electricity and few ways to cook food or purify water during power outages.
Stan and I have often discussed privately how horrible terrorist attacks are at any time. But such an event occurring in winter is unthinkable. Without electricity, people would be at the mercy of a cold house, poisonous water, their stored food and medicines on hand.
Poisonous water you wonder?
Treatment plants, like grocery stores, only keep a specified amount of supplies on hand. When diesel stops rolling into gas stations, trucks come to a standstill. When trucks cease deliveries, commercial chlorine used in water purification can't reach treatment plants. Just-in-time inventory for grocery stores is 3 days. On-site chlorine supply is only 5-7 days. Contact your water supplier to see where they stand. Non-purified water would be undrinkable. In short, you would be on your own with what you have until the grid could be resurrected. A power outage from a full-scale attack could range from weeks to months.
Many people can't afford to put their home fully on solar, geothermal, wind or some other method of back-up power. While generators aren't the usual route chosen for full-time off-grid electricity, they are a life-saving measure that can be used for months. All you need is the right size generator, operating knowledge and stored fuel.
After Hurricane Katrina, countless people wrote saying that they rode out the storm and its effects safely, if not in relative comfort, because they took our advice and invested in a generator. In some locales, power was not restored for months and having a generator saved lives. Consider this winter to make a family Christmas gift of a generator. It's a gift that will be appreciated long past when other presents sit idly in the closet.
http://standeyo.com/NEWS/09_Sci_Tech/091110.when.lights.go.out.html