Congress To Hear More On Looming Cyber Crash

CYBERWAR

Sometime in the next year or two an Internet virus worm will bring down the Internet

Washington - Sep 16, 2003
Dan Verton, senior writer at IDG's Computerworld and renowned national expert on cyber-security, has been invited by the House Committee on Government Reform to testify at a hearing on September 18 regarding the security of industrial control systems in the nation's critical infrastructure.

Verton's presence was requested as a result of his recent research regarding cyber vulnerabilities in industrial controls systems (commonly referred to as SCADA systems) for his newly published book, Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism.

The Committee was alerted to Verton's expertise on cyber-security by an excerpt from Black Ice, detailing the threat of cyber-terrorism in the energy, telecommunications and financial industries, which appeared in the August 11 issue of Computerworld.

Verton's testimony comes during a time of heightened concern regarding potential terrorist action against the United States. According to a recent National Research Council report, the possibility for attack on control systems requires "urgent attention."

In Black Ice, Verton exposes that the energy industry and other industrial sectors have opened their doors to cyber-attacks by creating inadvertent Internet links (both physical and wireless) between their corporate networks and SCADA systems - the computers that manage the actual flow of electricity and natural gas, and perform other critical functions.

"I'm honored to serve my country by testifying before Congress during what is perhaps the most challenging time in our nation's history. It's also a privilege to present lawmakers an inside look at my research for Black Ice, as well as my years of reporting on these issues for Computerworld.

"The security of the control systems and networks that power our nation's infrastructure and economy is an urgent national security matter. America faces thinking enemies around the world who understand both the weaknesses in the nation's physical and digital infrastructures, as well as the strategic political and economic impact that repeated disruptions of those infrastructures can have. It's time to take these targets away from America's terrorist enemies," said Verton.

CYBERWAR

Hacking Down Civilization

London - Sep 01, 2003
In January this year a computer worm disabled a safety system in a US nuclear power station, leading to renewed demands for security on electricity grids to be overhauled.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.