The image of the machine gun toting terrorist shooting up a public place is the one that most people expect and fear when they imagine an attack. The reality, many experts believe, is that terrorists are far more likely to cause damage to the lives of Americans in a much less bloody, but equally dangerous manner: cyber-attacks.
In 2013, Iranian hackers gained access to the flood gates of a New York dam. This event was kept secret until recently. While no damage was done, and the dam was not fully in their control, officials agree it was a frightening situation. Many believe it was merely a test to see what protection was available and what response there would be to these types of attacks.
Unfortunately, since most Americans are just hearing about this now, and considering that there have been other major security breaches since, it is obvious there has been very little improvement in cyber security. Consider the suspected North Korean attack on Sony’s website, the numerous problems for U.S. corporations from Chinese hackers and over 22 million personnel files stolen from a government website by what officials believe were also Chinese hackers. All of these instances mentioned have happened since that 2013 incident at the dam in New York.
The risk is real and the damage could be incalculable. A breached dam could flood a city. Lost medical files in a hospital could lead to numerous deaths. Hacked corporations, banks and government departments could financially cripple the economy. This is not paranoia. This is the real risk that all Americans are facing. Rather than closing off borders, banning people of certain religions from coming into the country, and encouraging all citizens to be armed, the government would protect the people better by investing in better cyber security. Of course, hiring tech professionals and investing in computer programs is not nearly as fun as recruiting new troops and building more tanks.
Featured Image by adrigu via Flickr, available under a Creative Commons license.
