Britain Under Cyberattack

Vital computer systems come under attack thousands of times a day in Britain, according to the government’s security minister. Networks controlling the vital arteries of any modern nation, such as electricity, water supplies and telecommunications, are being hit in an unseen cyberwar waged against Britain every day by criminals and terrorists, some of whom are backed by foreign states.

“If you take the whole gamut of threats, from state-sponsored organizations to industrial espionage, private individuals and malcontents, you’re talking about a remarkable number of attempted attacks on our system—I’d say in the thousands,” British Security Minister Lord West of Spithead told the Times. “Some are spotted instantly. Others are much, much cleverer.”

The Times writes:

Intelligence organizations such as MI5 have given warning of the threat of state-sponsored “cyberespionage” from countries such as Russia and China, but this is thought to be the first time that the government has quantified the extent of the threat to the nation’s networks, furthering the prospect of more widespread computer-based “warfare.”

According to Lord West, the most serious threat is that terrorist-backed hackers may break into networks such as the National Grid, which administers all of Britain’s electricity supplies and is heavily reliant on computers. Defense companies are also among those most at risk of attack.

Security analysts warn that Britain is in a very dangerous position. “We’re building this house of cards at the moment—connecting elements of our financial systems, as well as the systems which control nuclear power or water distribution, to the Internet, and it’s a very open environment,” said Earl Zmijewski, an analyst with the Internet intelligence company Renesys. “I can launch an attack on you from anywhere.”

“Most companies are not aware of the threat, and have an unreasonable faith in their own security systems,” warns Paul Vlissidis, an analyst with IT security firm ncc Group.

It is not just Britain that is at serious risk. The former chief strategist of Netscape recently wrote the Trumpet to say how bad the situation is in the United States: “At this point in time, the majority of the U.S. is not prepared for a large cyberattack,” he wrote. “Businesses are the least prepared. I recently spoke at an event for Business Continuity Planning Professionals. I asked those in attendance to raise their hand if their disaster recovery of business continuity plans addressed the threat of a cyberattack. Not a single hand went up!”

Imagine the chaos if electricity, mobile and landline communication and the Internet were all shut down together. If this happened for any length of time in a major city, the army would have to be called in to airlift food to the masses.

Yet, a cyberstrike against civilian targets would be nowhere near as devastating as an all-out cyberattack on a nation’s military.

Is such a thing possible, or even plausible? Read “Target: America” and “America’s Achilles Heel” for more.