disaster 5th 1108_5th ed 2011 - Homeland Security and Emergency ...

• An attack can be a physical assault against a critical IT
element meaning an attacker changes or destroys data,
modifies programs or takes control of a system (basically
can cause a loss of data “integrity” = data is no good).
• The attack can be from the inside -- meaning private
information could get in the wrong hands and become
public or identities stolen (basically “confidentiality”
is broken = data is no longer secure or private).
Cyber attacks target computer networks that run government, financial,
health, emergency medical services, public safety, telecommunications,
transportation and utility systems - also known as “critical infrastructure”.
Because technologies have improved our access to information, we have
opened ourselves up for attacks by our enemies to destroy or alter this data.
Cyberterrorism is different than computer crime or “hacktivism” (which
can be costly and a pain to fix but doesn’t threaten lives or public safety.)
Cyberterrorism is usually done with a minimal loss of life but there are
some groups that could use cyber attacks or cyber warfare to cause human
casualties or fear by disrupting transportation or public safety systems.
For example, prior to Russia invading Georgia in 2008, Georgian Internet
servers were overloaded by multiple coordinated distributed denial of
service (or D.D.O.S.) attacks. These attacks crippled Georgia’s government,
media, communications and transportation web sites before and after
Russian troops entered South Ossetia. It’s the first time a cyberattack
coincided with a shooting war according to some Internet experts. 6
We are not trying to cause worry or panic, but understand the possibility
exists and services could be disrupted or cut off or man-made disasters
could happen due to cyber attacks. For example, services like banking, gas
pumps, or internet access could be down or slow. And some emergency
planners are concerned a cyber attack combined with a physical act of
terrorism (like a “dirty bomb” or releasing a chemical or biological agent)
could potentially interfere with response capabilities.
As we have seen in news reports, many systems (including military and
government systems) have been breached repeatedly and over the course of
many years or even decades by rogue hackers and nations. Many experts
feel the next major conflict could be a cyberwar rather than conventional
warfare.
Most countries have agencies committed to securing and monitoring
critical infrastructure and share information on a regular basis. Businesses
and consumers can help too by taking some preventative measures.
82 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325