Ok. I am going to assume that you really do care about the truth. (Yes, I know the concept of assume- but if you don’t care about the truth, the only ass is you. Not me.)
Our intelligence services have been privately declaring (since 2014) that Russia, North Korea, and China – to various degrees- have decided that hacking our electoral devices and our electric grids pose perfectly acceptable targets.
I’ve reported that our electric utilities have succumbed to manifold attacks. (Here’s but one.) Thankfully, they weren’t complete- but the hackers could have left wide swaths of America in the dark.
Of course, our power companies were feeling smug. After all, they claim their systems are “air-gapped” or not completely connected to the internet. Except they are connected to their vendors (most of them are smaller companies with little security)- and the hackers figured that out and ensured they attacked their lesser protected systems to sneak into the electric grid system.
Now, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) is being more forthcoming. No longer are they warning folks who have clearance. Nope, now they are telling us all.
Of course, TheDonald is positive that the Russians aren’t doing this. After all, they told him so.
It’s not a very sophisticated attack. Spear phishing. Watering hole. All derived to trick recipients to enter their passwords so they can be harvested. And, then they got maps of the utilities’ networks, what equipment the power companies had, what sort of controllers existed. And, then they could meander through the back door all the time, without the power company knowing, since the hackers made it look like it was a normal occurrence.
Don’t forget- the Russians have already turned off the power in the Ukraine. But, they didn’t panic, because those folks are used to not having power 24-7.
Americans will panic if that is what happens to us. Big time!
So, why are we doing nothing?
As many times as you and others have sounded the alarm, most people are still hitting the “snooze” button. In my industry, we are required to have constant training to recognize various type of attacks that come in emails – and we undergo fake attacks to see if we fall for them. There are consequences if we do. I do not work for a utility or other life-or-death industry. Yes, life or death. This should be mandatory for everyone who works for anyone. Period.
Alana recently posted..Throwback Thursday – The Non Persistance of Vision
I can only hope that one time my alarm will trigger a response with enough folks to force our government to react, Alana!
I’m actually surprised that a massive attack / hack on a power system of a major US city hasn’t already occured – they seem to be forecasting it on all of the political dramas I watch (which I know are obviously fiction and detatched from reality, but they tend to usually at least try to base their storylines on current events). We’re definitely heading into an age where warfare is completely different, and more crippling than boots on the ground, if this ever happens on a large scale.
There have been small attacks- but no massive ones. I am not sure if it is because the Russians and Koreans are worried that TheDonald will react in his normal fashion (i.e., overreact with bombers galore) or they hope to be able to claim someone else was responsible when they do, Megan.
I am not surprised at all. The US has been remarkably lacks in many things (except home security which has gone overboard). Does this attitude come from a view that “we are invincible?”. As a non-American I have encountered an American attitude that everything in the States is bigger, better and more beautiful. And while that may be true for some things, it is not a blanket observation on my part. When people think they know better, they may not observe any dangers coming to them. (As a, naturalized Dutch Canadian, I remember all sorts of dangerous situations back in Europe over the past few decades; mind you my maternal country is now also slipping…). The sad thing is that if something does go seriously wrong somewhere in the world, that world almost always demands the US to step in and clean up the mess. I also think that envy plays a big role in these cyber dangers. The US is perceived to be the most powerful country in the world, the most successful, the most attractive. Of course, such things are always in the eye of the beholder. Power, however, is something many countries strive for. Any future cyber attacks will not cease unless the US will DO something about them. I hold my heart if it doesn’t and the world slides further into chaos. As your Northern neighbour we are so dependent on the US. I am not happy about that, but with only 10% of the US population and twice the landmass, we will never be able to defend ourselves. These days I read the news with distaste and horror. Crazy things are happening ‘down below’.
Jessica:
You provided a most eloquent comment and discourse on the problem. Too many countries- but especially the US- believe if they don’t mention the problem, it (a) doesn’t exists or (b) won’t happen to them. But, we all know those beliefs are about as true as the moon is comprised of green cheese.
Thanks for the visit and the comment!
Hah Roy! Surely the moon is made of green cheese!!! Look at night and you can see it. And, if you can’t, ask Trump. He will tweet you an elaborate answer in the early morning hours when the green cheese is waning. LOL
Hey, Jessica:
Since I get lots of spam all comments are moderated- that’s why your comment does not immediately appear.
And, TheDonald would, indeed, create some self-serving tweet.