Most of us have heard of the story of Achilles, the warrior who was only vulnerable in his heel. America is the greatest superpower this world has ever known. But we have a very vulnerable point in our military—our own Achilles heel. It is so dangerous that I am amazed it hasn’t received more publicity.
Exploiting this vulnerable point could trigger the greatest shock in the history of warfare!
Over a decade ago, Joseph de Courcy of Cheltenham, England, wrote this in his Intelligence Digest: “We will be hearing a lot more about computer crime, computer terrorism, and computer warfare. Every moment of the day in modern, technological societies is dominated by computers. These computers are highly vulnerable to criminal, terrorist or enemy sabotage. For the moment, the public is only dimly aware of exactly how vulnerable a computer-run society is, while criminals, terrorists and would-be aggressors are only just beginning to understand the potential available to them. This will change. …
“Furthermore, every computer has a ‘backdoor key,’ by-passing access codes, for the convenience of the technical experts. Backdoor keys can be created by special instruction in order to ensure continued access regardless of changing security codes. No computer system is totally secure, or anywhere near it. …
“One growing concern to Western security authorities is the expanding, semi-underground,network of young computer hackers in Germany. It is thought that some at least of these highly skilled computer wizards are ideologically motivated—or could become so. With their expertise, a terrorist organization could achieve a far greater impact on everyday life than has ever been achieved by conventional terrorism.
“As to the implications for defense, the Gulf War showed what a critical role technology now plays in warfare. But the course of a battle would be very different if effective technology-sabotaging measures could be instituted against the superior force. …
“Computer dependence is the Western world’s Achilles heel, and within a few years this weakness could be tested to the full” (March 20, 1992; emphasis mine throughout).
I believe one key end-time Bible prophecy could well be fulfilled through the kind of cyberterrorism Mr. de Courcy described: “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof” (Ezekiel 7:14). The trumpet of war is to be blown in Israel—mainly America and Britain. (If you would like more information, request our free booklet on Ezekiel. All of our literature is free.) It seems everybody is expecting our people to go into battle, but the greatest tragedy imaginable occurs! Nobody goes to battle—even though the trumpet is blown! Will it be because of computer terrorism?
As Mr. de Courcy said, “No computer system is totally secure, or anywhere near it”!
According to Mr. de Courcy, in 1992 one of the growing concerns of Western security authorities was a “network of young computer hackers in Germany.” That the computer hackers are from Germany should be worrisome—especially if you understand history and Bible prophecy.
Winston Churchill said Germany had a history of surprise attacks against enemies and nations who thought they were friends with Germany.
One of the main reasons the Allies won World War ii was that the British broke the German radio code. They knew about most of Germany’s war plans in advance! Quite a gigantic advantage.
German computer hackers might be inspired by Britain’s radio code-breaking in World War ii. Today they could be working to break America’s military computer codes. Then they could know war plans and even stop them by wrecking the U.S.’s computer-run military!
This is not a matter to take lightly.
A Warning From History
Here are excerpts from a radio broadcast given May 9, 1945, when Herbert W. Armstrong warned of Germany’s post-war rise: “The war is over, in Europe—OR IS IT?We need to wake upand realize that right now is the most dangerous moment in United States national history, instead of assuming we now have peace!
“Men plan, here [at the United Nations], to preserve the peace of the world. What most do not know is that the Germans have their plans for winning the battle of the peace. Yes, I said battle of the peace. That’s a kind of battle we Americans don’t know. We know only one kind of war. We have never lost a war—that is, a military war; but we have never won a conference, where leaders of other nations outfox us in the battle for the peace.
“We don’t understand German thoroughness. From the very start of World War ii, they have considered the possibility of losing this second round, as they did the first—and they have carefully, methodically planned, in such eventuality, the third round—World War iii! Hitler has lost. This round of war, in Europe, is over. And the Nazis have now gone underground. In France and Norway they learned how effectively an organized underground can hamper occupation and control of a country. Paris was liberated by the French underground—and Allied armies. Now a Nazi underground is methodically planned. They plan to come back and to win on the third try.
“The Bible foretells that third round—and it spells doom for us, as God’s punishment, because we, as a nation, have forsaken Him and His ways! The third round is termed, in prophecy, an invasion by ‘Babylon’—a resurrected Roman Empire—a European Union. I have been proclaiming that since 1927. [Remember, this was spoken in 1945!] …
“Even at this conference, classes and races are demanding their ‘rights.’ This conference, and the United Nations organization it is forming, must solve three problems to succeed. First, Big Three unity; second, the serious problem of what to do with Germany to prevent World War iii; and third, solve the world’s injustices against smaller nations, and the growth and tactics of communism toward world domination. Can it succeed?”
The U.S. declassified a shocking World War ii intelligence document in 1996. It confirmed every word of what Herbert W. Armstrong said in his radio broadcast. The document, detailing an August 1944 meeting between top German industrialists, reveals a secret post-war plan to restore the Nazis to power. Several of Germany’s elite industries were represented, including Messerschmitt and Volkswagenwerks. These companies, the document asserts, were to “prepare themselves to finance the Nazi Party which would be forced to go underground.” When the U.S. declassified this document, it received only sparse news coverage. Yet even more disturbing than the deep stupor of the press is the fact that the U.S. government did not make it public until 1996—over 50 years later!
By 1944, the Germans knew they would lose World War ii and were already planning for the next round! “Existing financial reserves in foreign countries,” the document says, “must be placed at the disposal of the party so that a strong German Empire can be created after the defeat.”
Those at the 1944 meeting understood that the most prominent members of the Nazi Party would be condemned as war criminals. “However,” the document maintains, “in cooperation with the industrialists it is arranging to place its less conspicuous but most important members in positions with various German factories as technical experts or members of its research and designing offices.”
How alarming! Why was so little written about this in 1996? Why did it take so long for it to be declassified? America and Britain have fallen asleep—our people don’t understand what is happening behind the scenes!
That is why we at the Trumpet feel compelled to return to these issues again and again. Hardly anyone else will!
Historians have long debated whether or not a secret Nazi plan was made for a post-war, international network. Now that it has been confirmed, as Elan Steinberg of the World Jewish Congress said, “the central question is whether it has been carried out.” (For more detailed information, including a copy of the document, request our booklet The Rising Beast).
These Nazis or Nazi sympathizers know that American power ultimately defeated them in World War ii. So their number-one priority in World War iii will be to destroy America.
This mindset dominates their thinking, whether we know it or not.
Germany’s opposition of America in the Iraq War revealed that they are not our friends. And that in spite of the fact that no nation since World War ii has helped them more than America.
In the London Times, Feb. 6, 2000, Melanie Phillips said that Tony Blair’s government “is obsessed with ‘modernity’ and contemptuous of history and tradition.” Former U.S. President Bill Clinton had the same contempt for history. It is a dangerous problem—the kind of thinking that destroys nations!
Bill Clinton, when he was president, totally ignored the 1945 United Nations warning. Many of our own citizens personally lived through that history. Even worse, Mr. Clinton actually pushed Germany into dominating Europe—the ultimate contempt for extremely recent history!
How utterly contemptuous Mr. Blair and Mr. Clinton have been of World War ii history that cost 50 million lives! Our nations will pay dearly for such dangerous contempt of history.
But the problem gets worse. Our religious leaders have forgotten our spiritual history. They don’t even know that America, Britain and the Jews in the Middle East are all a part of biblical Israel. The Israelites were the only people who ever had a history with God! (If you haven’t proved this for yourself, request our free booklet The United States and Britain in Prophecy.)
As long as we reject our history, we will never accept Bible prophecy. That means God has to punish us as never before. The instrument God will use is rising quickly in Europe (Isaiah 10:5-7). The plan is about to be implemented, unless we repent.
So what I am saying should not be construed as an attack on Germany. That nation will only be a tool to correct our serious spiritual problems if we don’t wake up.
Hacker Progress
Computer hackers continue to make progress. Let’s look at what they are doing now, about 13 years after that first report I quoted. Their efforts are not presently directed at the military, but still, their skills could be used in that area.
bbc News ran this alarming story on March 17: “More than 1 million computers on the Net have been hijacked to attack websites and pump out spam and viruses. The huge number was revealed by security researchers who have spent months tracking more than 100 networks of remotely controlled machines. The largest network of so-called zombie networks spied on by the team was made up of 50,000 hijacked home computers. …
“The detailed look at zombie or ‘bot nets of hijacked computers was done by the Honeynet Project—a group of security researchers …. To gather its information the German arm of the Honeynet Project created software tools to log what happened to the machines they put on the Web. Getting the machines hijacked was worryingly easy. The longest time a Honeynet machine survived without being found by an automatic attack tool was only a few minutes. The shortest compromise time was only a few seconds. …
“Criminals also seem to be starting to use ‘bot nets for mass identity theft, to host websites that look like those of banks so confidential information can be gathered and to peep into online traffic to steal sensitive data.
“‘Leveraging the power of several thousand bots, it is viable to take down almost any website or network instantly,’ said the researchers. ‘Even in unskilled hands, it should be obvious that ‘bot nets are a loaded and powerful weapon.’”
Another bbc News report of the same date revealed what London police said was one of the biggest attempted bank thefts in Britain: “The plan was to steal £220 million [us$423 million] from the London offices of the Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui. Computer experts are believed to have tried to transfer the money electronically after hacking into the bank’s systems. …
“Richard Starnes, president of the Information Security Services Association, said: ‘We have been talking about the doomsday scenario for quite some time, and while this was not actualized it shows the magnitude of the threat to companies.’ …
“Mr. Starnes, who works for Cable & Wireless, said key logging software—which detects every key stroke made by a keyboard and can give away crucial information such as passwords—was easy to obtain and quite simple to insert into a company’s computers.
“He said: ‘This is the arms race of this era. Police and criminals are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of each other.’”
RiskCenter, a news service devoted to economic, political and financial stories, wrote this in an article titled “Energy Risk—Grid Systems Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks”: “When federal energy regulators met with cyberexperts recently, they learned just how vulnerable the nation’s grid systems could be to such attacks. Regulators viewed simulations in which hackers were able to penetrate Internet security guards and subsequently cut off the fuels needed to spin turbines.
“Indeed, power grids are susceptible to not just worms and viruses that can disrupt business but also to large-scale onslaughts intent on shutting down systems completely. …
“It’s widely acknowledged that the transmission system has vulnerabilities. And this fact, along with the fear that international terror organizations and even casual hackers are on the prowl, has prompted regulators to require utilities to give the matter far more attention than in the past. Certainly, the transition from proprietary networks to those that can be accessed via the Internet has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for those with ill intentions. …
“Terrorism, meanwhile, is on the minds of government officials. A well-heeled group ‘could conduct a structured attack on the electric power grid electronically, with a high degree of anonymity, and without having to set foot in the target nation,’ the Government Accountability Office wrote” (March 17).
Criminal computer hackers are making tremendous progress. But the greatest danger is not in corporate America and Britain. It is in the military.
When you consider Germany’s past and its present ambition, beware. Germany’s bullying tactics in Europe have already alarmed many experts. And I personally wonder what kind of progress their computer hackers have made.
Have we forgotten the 1945 United Nations warning? If we do, it could be a mistake we make only once.