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Posted by: Lass Nov 9 2009, 10:20 PM

Did anyone else catch that bit on 60 minutes yesterday about cyberwar? Pretty scary stuff on how much damage it can reallly do. For example they showed how powerplants and specificly a generator could be destroyed via the internet. All that without AR or VR!!!! Scarrrrrrry!

Posted by: Warlordtheft Nov 10 2009, 09:03 PM

Yep-and the bigggest problem is that the Power companies don't do much to prevent it.

Posted by: Stahlseele Nov 11 2009, 05:27 AM

this is, in my eyes, still kinda dumb . .
basically, you kill the network before you have done any more damage to it.
do anything else and as the crowning kill moment, kill the generators and so on . .

Posted by: Chrysalis Nov 11 2009, 04:28 PM

Try dropping all the satellites from orbit, followed by widescale telecommunication disruption and then followed by rolling electrical blackouts.

There is no halfway in total war. Unless it is a question of another world war, any disruption on infrastructure of a major first world country will be minor.

This is another case of fear mongering.

Posted by: Fix-it Nov 13 2009, 03:21 AM

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/brazil_blackout/

90% of all "black hat" internet crime these days is done for money. no money, no http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/7/16/

Posted by: nezumi Nov 13 2009, 04:07 PM

You don't think shutting down power generators wouldn't get good money for someone? Granted, it's more likely we'd see Russia doing this to somewhere in Europe, but even so... It's a genuine threat, that needs to be addressed at the infrastructure AND personal level.

Posted by: Lass Nov 13 2009, 07:04 PM

This may be true in regard to average everyday hacking but the 60 minutes piece was more concerned with cyber attacks being a new tool in future wars. As such shutting down electrical gribs, causing power plants to blow up, disrupting communication networks would all be features of a future war and would mostly target civilian centers rather than military units. I suppose thats nothing new since WWI but still interesting in considering how the cyber attacks will be featured. An interesting aspect of the program was showing how militaries are adapting this as part of their war gaming. At least they made the point that the US is one of the best in this regard.

Posted by: Lok1 :) Nov 13 2009, 11:44 PM

Excuse me I'm going to go play splinter cell 1 and 3 over for the ninth time now.