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U.S. Vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks, Researchers Say

by Terrence O'Brien on August 21, 2008 at 09:01 AM


Warfare is becoming increasingly sophisticated and cyber attacks are becoming commonplace. The recent Russian attack on Georgia is such an example -- the ground invasion of Georgia was preceded by an Internet attack that crippled many of the country's governmental and financial sites and institutions.

Security experts fear that the U.S. may be vulnerable to such an attack, especially since we have come to rely on the Internet for banking, business correspondence, and yes even waging war.

Preventing these attacks poses a unique challenge to security experts, since attacks can be launched by just a few individuals from the far-flung reaches of the globe. Though the government fights off cyber-attacks everyday, protecting against a coordinated attack may prove difficult. Researchers launched an experimental attack last year that caused a generator in Idaho to self-destruct, prompting panic about the effects of such offensives on our infrastructure.

The openness and connectedness of the Internet, which make it an invaluable resource, are also the very things which make it so vulnerable to attack. Fighting this new type of war is going to be a particularly difficult challenge for modern governments, especially when considering the lack of standard global laws for combating cyber-terrorism. [From: CNN]

Tags: cyber attack, cyber warfare, CyberAttack, CyberWarfare, government, security, war, warfare

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