Cyber Threat - Some Fear Computer Attacks Could Cause or Intensify Physical Terror

Overseas Security Advisory Council: "Cyber Threat - Some Fear Computer Attacks Could Cause or Intensify Physical Terror
from ABC News on Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Evildoers commandeer thousands of home computers, creating a virtual army that knocks down chunks of the Internet. Computer infections hit a nuclear plant, crash a 911 system, snarl train service and shut down ATMs. A neighborhood glitch compromises air traffic control computers. It's all happened before, security experts say.

Luckily for America, it hasn't happened all at once  yet.

There is skepticism, but some fear it could. The recent accidental power outage which took out tens of millions of electricity consumers also spurred concerns.

'The Northeast power blackout & could happen as a result of a terrorist attack using cyber [methods],' said Richard Clarke, America's former cybersecurity czar, now an ABCNEWS consultant.

'[There are] a lot of people in the Department of Homeland Security that believe the only terrorist events worth worrying about are the ones with explosions and bodybags, and that's a very 20th-century way of looking at the problem,' Clarke added. 'In the 21st century, cyberspace is what controls the country.' "