The power grid as we know it is destined to fail, if you believe the authorities. Who will be there to pick up the pieces and patch it back together?
Outgoing Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano issued an ‘open letter’ to her successorwarning that a cyber or physical event that knocks out the power grid will occur – and it is not a question of “if” but “when.”
Notoriously known as “Big Sis” for her role at the Orwellian mega-agency, she claims the supposed ‘imminent’ event will pose challenges to all aspects of life, and make powering homes, providing food and facilitating transportation difficult. Napolitano seems so sure, one wonders how she knows that such a catastrophe is not only possible, but sure to happen, as she prepares to officially leave office September 6th.
ABC News reports: The outgoing Homeland Security Secretary has a warning for her successor: A massive and “serious” cyber attack on the U.S. homeland is coming, and a natural disaster — the likes of which the nation has never seen — is also likely on its way.
These are not Napolitano’s first comments on the subject; instead, they’ve been a frequent an unnerving talking point. Watch the video:
To that end, FBI terrorism experts – operating under the Homeland Security umbrella – arestaging a massive emergency drill dubbed GridEx II [PDF] for grid takedown scenarios in November that will include North America-wide agency officials, including those from Mexico and Canada.
Emphasizing the fear of disruption on a scale “only hinted at” by Hurricane Sandy and 9/11, these administrators and experts claim an infrastructure attack “could black out vast areas of the continent for weeks; interrupt supplies of water, gasoline, diesel fuel and fresh food; shut down communications.”
What is clear from both Hurricane Sandy, 9/11 and other events such as Hurricane Katrina is that the typical response to from governments is to soak up massive amounts of funding while hampering actual relief efforts through late and inept management of disasters. While anecdotal evidence like the FEMA office “closed due to weather” in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and many aspects of the delayed and deadly Hurricane Katrina response make this travesty abundantly clear, a recent GAO report has made this conclusion official.
CYBER ATTACK LIKELY TO TAKE DOWN GRID
The nation’s outdated power grid has spurned expectations that it is vulnerable, which for some experts, seems to beg an attack.
House Democrats issued a report in May 2013 claiming not only that the power grid was vulnerable to cyber attack, but that it faced threats on a daily basis. One utility cited in the reportincredibly [as in, without credibility] claimed that it faced 10,000 attempts at a takedown per month.
Rep. Ed Markey, who co-authored the House Democrat’s controversial Climate Bill in 2010 – that would have taxed carbon dioxide and imposed new regulations on many aspects of ordinary life – played to the dangers, stating “With one well-placed keystroke, Americans could be plunged into darkness and chaos through the damage to our electric grid.” Markey emphasized the the threat of attack by foreign armies, adding “Foreign enemies are employing Web warriors to attack our way of life, and it’s time that our actions respond to the potential threat.”
U.S. homeland chief: cyber 9/11 could happen "imminently"
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned on Thursday that a major cyber attack is a looming threat and could have the same sort of impact as last year's Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out electricity in a large swathe of the Northeast.
Napolitano said a "cyber 9/11" could happen "imminently" and that critical infrastructure - including water, electricity and gas - was very vulnerable to such a strike.
"We shouldn't wait until there is a 9/11 in the cyber world. There are things we can and should be doing right now that, if not prevent, would mitigate the extent of damage," said Napolitano, speaking at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington and referring to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
U.S. homeland chief: cyber 9/11 could happen "imminently"
WASHINGTON
The U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano attends a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the World War Two Battle of the Coral Sea in Canberra May 3, 2012.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ANDREW TAYLOR (AUSTRALIA - TAGS: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY)
(Reuters) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned on Thursday that a major cyber attack is a looming threat and could have the same sort of impact as last year's Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out electricity in a large swathe of the Northeast.
Napolitano said a "cyber 9/11" could happen "imminently" and that critical infrastructure - including water, electricity and gas - was very vulnerable to such a strike.
"We shouldn't wait until there is a 9/11 in the cyber world. There are things we can and should be doing right now that, if not prevent, would mitigate the extent of damage," said Napolitano, speaking at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington and referring to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Napolitano runs the sprawling Homeland Security Department that was created 10 years ago in the aftermath of September 11 and charged with preventing another such event.
She urged Congress to pass legislation governing cyber security so the government could share information with the private sector to prevent an attack on infrastructure, much of which is privately owned.
A cyber security bill failed in Congress last year after business and privacy groups opposed it. The measure would have increased information-sharing between private companies and U.S. intelligence agencies and established voluntary standards for businesses that control power grids or water treatment plants.
Business groups said the legislation was government overreach. Privacy groups feared it might lead to Internet eavesdropping.
New cyber legislation is being considered, but it is unclear whether it will get through the gridlocked Congress.
President Barack Obama is expected to soon issue an executive order that would set up a voluntary system to help protect some critical infrastructure and offer incentives to companies that participate.
But without a new law, companies cannot be granted any kind of legal immunity for sharing information with the government and within the industry about potential threats.
Officials have pointed to recent hacking attacks on U.S. banks as a sign that the cyber threat is real and growing.
"The clarion call is here and we need to be dealing with this very urgently," said Napolitano. "Attacks are coming all the time. They are coming from different sources, they take different forms. But they are increasing in seriousness and sophistication."
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