Cyberterrorism,watched,the,tel DIY Cyberterrorism

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

As I watched the television all day long today, viewing the horribleterrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I asked myselfwhy the terrorists hadn't attacked the internet? After all, with the comingof Code Red, it was apparent to all of us in the Information Technologyindustry just how vulnerable our vast communication network really is.In fact, I've read dozens of articles over the last few months explaining ingreat detail the concepts of cyber-warfare and cyber-terrorism. One of thecentral assumptions of many of these documents is the value of the internetis obvious to any enemy of the United States and the rest of the free world.It has even been argued that Code Red may very well be a form ofcyber-warfare, perhaps even created by a quasi-government agency of somekind.Now the light has dawned and I understand a basic fact which I did not fullygasp until I saw a plane fly through the World Trade Center building.The job of a terrorist is to create terror.Attacks through a communication system such as the internet do not createterror. Yes, you can do one heck of a lot of damage to the Americaninfrastructure by sending attacks through the phone lines. You can causeelectric power blackouts, banking failures and many other malicious acts.A computer programmer shutting off the power to a city is no where near ashorrifying as watching a 110 story building crumbling to dust.What could a cyber-terrorist do?- Shut down the stock market? The September 11th terrorists closed it downfor two or more days.- Get their attacks shown on the evening news? A cyber attack would get nowhere near the coverage as the terrorists got on this day.- Crash a jet? The terrorists did far more than that.- Ground a few planes? The terrorists grounded every plane in the UnitedStates.- Shut down the power grid for a city? Again, nothing compared to a realterrorist attack.That's what we in IT miss ... we are terrified beyond belief by the failureof technology. Most people, however, do not have anywhere near the intimateknowledge and understanding of the shear power that we possess.You've got to understand, terrorists are not intelligent beings. They arestupid as stones. Do you really think Usama Bin Laden is intelligent? Itdoes not take brains to ruthlessly kill thousands of innocent human beings.A volcano or mudslide can do that just fine without a single brain cell.Read about the first attack on the World Trade Center towers in 1993, andyou will find out how stupid terrorists really are. These people make brickslook smart - remember, a brick can do some major damage if it hits someonein the head, but that does not make it intelligent.A terrorist would have to understand the internet and the cyber world beforehe could pull off an attack. On top of that, he would have to gain arealization that the United States depended upon this infrastructure, andthen he would have to learn all about it.We take it for granted because thirteen year olds in the United States andEurope create viruses and worms in their sleep. As a security manager for amajor company, I see dozens of viruses every single day, so I just assumethat other people understand these things.Well, guess what, the power of the internet is not obvious to ignorantrenegade Saudi princes who have been living in the wilderness of Afghanistanfor most of their lives.Certainly it is easier for this uncivilized savage, dumber than earthbarbarian (Usama Bin Laden and every other terrorist) to make a gasolinebomb than it is to create one paragraph of intelligent writing. Anyone canmake a gasoline bomb out of an airplane, and it certainly does not take manyworking brain cells to crash one into a skyscraper.You also have to understand that the internet was designed and built tosurvive a major, country-wide nuclear attack. That's a lot more power thanany terrorist scum is likely to possess.Is there a danger of cyber-terrorism? Sure there is. This is a criticalpiece of the world infrastructure and it must be protected, just like anyother communication or transportation line.There is actually more of a danger of cyber-warfare than of cyber-terrorism.Countries do understand the value of the internet, especially highlycivilized nations. Generals and soldiers do understand the value of goodcommunications (which is really what the internet is all about). One of thefirst and most important tasks of any warmaster is to disruptcommunications.Terrorists do not want to disrupt communications. In fact, that's the lastthing on their mind, since they survive only as long as communicationsremain intact. Imagine what would happen to any terrorist whose acts weresimply ignored. If no terror resulted, then why try and cause terror? Thus,terrorist targets are specifically chosen to be the most visible, and thusthe most communicated. You won't find many terrorists who bomb isolatedtargets out in Siberia - who would see it?That, in a nut shell, is why terrorism never has and never will win a war.They are not playing to win - they are playing to terrify. They do causedamage and they do cause, well, terror - but they do not win.Attacking via the internet might win a war, but it will not cause terror.Thus, it is not a highly tempting target for terrorists. A terrorist attackagainst it is not impossible, but it is highly unlikely. Article Tags: World Trade Center, World Trade, Trade Center, United States, Would Have