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In a doomsday cyber attack scenario, answers are unsettling
LA Times ^
| February 17, 2010
| Bob Drogin
Posted on 02/21/2010 9:10:03 PM PST by bamahead
What if a crippling attack struck the country's digital infrastructure? Experts including current and former officials tackle the question. The results show that the peril is real and growing.
The crisis began when college basketball fans downloaded a free March Madness application to their smart phones. The app hid spyware that stole passwords, intercepted e-mails and created havoc.
Soon 60 million cellphones were dead. The Internet crashed, finance and commerce collapsed, and most of the nation's electric grid went dark. White House aides discussed putting the Army in American cities.
"We're in uncharted territory here," was the most common refrain during a three-hour simulated crisis meeting of the National Security Council, the crux of the Cyber Shockwave exercise.
...SNIP...
The public rarely gets a peek at government war games. If Tuesday's no-cliche-left-behind version at times resembled a sci-fi thriller, no one doubts that the peril to telecommunications and other crucial computer-run systems is real and growing.
...SNIP...
In the end, no grand plan emerged, but the group did agree to advise the president to federalize the National Guard, even if governors objected, and deploy the troops -- perhaps backed by the U.S. military -- to guard power lines and prevent unrest.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cyberattack; cybersecurity; cyberwars; internet; lping; tech
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According to the article, the panel was made up of such astute experts on cybersecurity as Joe Lockhart, and Jamie Gorelick...and the only to-do recommendation that came out of this waste of your taxpayer dollars was to federalize the National Guard.
1
posted on
02/21/2010 9:10:03 PM PST
by
bamahead
To: Abathar; Abcdefg; Abram; Abundy; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; Allerious; ...
2
posted on
02/21/2010 9:12:12 PM PST
by
bamahead
(Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
To: ShadowAce
3
posted on
02/21/2010 9:13:37 PM PST
by
bamahead
(Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
To: bamahead
Are you implying that this isn’t what any person elected president in the past (and next) 30 years would do? Disaster, war, bad hair day what have you are all excellent excuses to expand the federal government’s size and power. Looking forward to an actual attack by the Chinese that causes some draconian response which doesn’t actually help things. It is okay though I already take my shoes off before I send email...
4
posted on
02/21/2010 9:17:29 PM PST
by
Eyes Unclouded
("The word bipartisan means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out." -George Carlin)
To: bamahead
This tactical scenario does NOT go far enough. I would have included a 9/11 style attack on the Empire State Building and an exploding fuel tanker in the Port of Houston, with a Cat 5 hurricane hitting NOLA again soon after.
Also going on would have been a bioterror attack against Israel and movements by N. Korea (shelling S. Korean positions). Also present are large Iranian backed attacks on US positions in Iraq.
5
posted on
02/21/2010 9:17:37 PM PST
by
Thunder90
(Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
To: Eyes Unclouded
I think the boneheads in the White House now would jump at the chance to use such a crisis to do things they normally couldn’t do.
6
posted on
02/21/2010 9:21:17 PM PST
by
bamahead
(Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
To: bamahead
Just finished reading “One Second After” today.....EMF nuke....THIS panel is pissing in the wind....what a joke.
7
posted on
02/21/2010 9:21:36 PM PST
by
goodnesswins
(Tagline, oh, tagline, whereart thou tagline....)
To: bamahead
The people that should be blamed for this is the cell phone industry.
8
posted on
02/21/2010 9:21:51 PM PST
by
ErnstStavroBlofeld
("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
For allowing this “hole” to happen.
9
posted on
02/21/2010 9:22:57 PM PST
by
ErnstStavroBlofeld
("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
To: goodnesswins
You mean EMP nuke? I keep hearing what a good book that is. ‘Alas Babylon’ has always been a favorite of mine...a chilling tale.
10
posted on
02/21/2010 9:25:12 PM PST
by
bamahead
(Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
To: Thunder90
This tactical scenario does NOT go far enough. I would have included a 9/11 style attack on the Empire State Building and an exploding fuel tanker in the Port of Houston, with a Cat 5 hurricane hitting NOLA again soon after.
Also going on would have been a bioterror attack against Israel and movements by N. Korea (shelling S. Korean positions). Also present are large Iranian backed attacks on US positions in Iraq.
I think at that point, it would be time to break out the nukes from their silos.
Iran = parking lot. Same goes for North Korea and anyone else who thinks they can bring down the United States of America.
11
posted on
02/21/2010 9:26:52 PM PST
by
Deo volente
(January 19, 2010...the Second American Revolution begins, right where it all started!)
To: bamahead
**but the group did agree to advise the president to federalize the National Guard, even if governors objected**
If the phones are dead and power is out good luck mobilizing the National Guard. My unit has a hard enough time getting some people to show up for scheduled drill or contacting them through their phone numbers.
12
posted on
02/21/2010 9:30:41 PM PST
by
Swiss
(Reality don't seem real anymore)
To: bamahead
Excellent, but scary...as it lays out just what could (would) happen.....not a pretty picture.....prepare now.
13
posted on
02/21/2010 9:31:05 PM PST
by
goodnesswins
(Tagline, oh, tagline, whereart thou tagline....)
To: bamahead
If the national security maven and cyber-security expert Jamie Gorelick (can you hear the God like echo) is involve, fraud and destruction is planned by the political class to cripple United States social infrastructure.
14
posted on
02/21/2010 9:31:11 PM PST
by
ntmxx
(I am not so sure about this misdirection!)
To: bamahead
Yeah, I head Kim on this the last couple days, was kinda surprised by her doom on this.
Good point about teaching all the grandmas and pas to learn to text.
15
posted on
02/21/2010 9:40:17 PM PST
by
txhurl
To: bamahead
When the history of this era is finally Written, if there is not a special place in Hell for the likes of Jamie Gorelick, we will know there is no G-d.
16
posted on
02/21/2010 9:58:48 PM PST
by
Carry_Okie
(The RINOcrat Party is still in charge. There has never been a conservative American government.)
To: bamahead
I’d just let every country know up front, any cyber attack that causes major economic damage to the US gets disconnected from the Internet if it originated from their country. Any attack that can be traced back to the government of that country that results in major economic damage will be considered an act of war, just as a blockade is. Let’em suck on that.
17
posted on
02/21/2010 10:58:30 PM PST
by
DB
To: bamahead
"...federalize the National Guard...perhaps backed by the U.S. military"
LOL! The Guard is already an integral part of the U.S. military. ...has been for a long time.
"...to guard power lines and prevent unrest."
...sounds exciting...not.
But a "doomsday cyber attack scenario" would probably be a precursor to an EMP burst outside of atmosphere, which would be followed by nuclear weapons exchanges. So it wouldn't be all that lame.
Aaaaaaa! Aaaaaaaaa! Run for your lives! The end is near! Flying saucers! Gastro-intestinal examinations by space aliens! Aaaaa! ;-)
18
posted on
02/21/2010 11:02:23 PM PST
by
familyop
(cbt. engr. (cbt), NG, '89-' 96, Duncan Hunter or no-vote.)
To: Swiss
"If the phones are dead and power is out good luck mobilizing the National Guard. My unit has a hard enough time getting some people to show up for scheduled drill or contacting them through their phone numbers."
My unit for the first six years was all spit, polish and high speed. *Snap!* ...typical for combat platoons. But guarding power lines would be one ugly-boring guard mount. ...like guarding an empty quarry all night during initial training. ...more of a job for Buddhist monks or something, meditating on nothingness. ;-)
19
posted on
02/21/2010 11:12:34 PM PST
by
familyop
(cbt. engr. (cbt), NG, '89-' 96, Duncan Hunter or no-vote.)
To: familyop
Who are they kidding?
The combined National Guard could not begin to guard everything.
People have no concept as to what a hopeless task this would be.
I envision the National Guard being used to protect the elite political class and to hell with the rest of America. We would be completely on our own.
The entire system would completely break down within a couple of days and it would be dog-eat-dog.
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