Re: FBI Suspects Terrorists Are Exploring Cyber Attacks

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

Forwarded from: Richard Forno <rforno (at) infowarrior.org>

The second paragraph undermines the whole article, as such statements 
tend to do in all articles warning of cyber or terrorist attacks, just 
as any number of 'stories' citing some new DHS or FBI terror threat that 
suddenly hits the airwaves periodically during the year.

This entire article simply says -er, repeats- that "terrorists may 
consider cyber attacks."  Yeah.  We know that already, and have known 
about it for quite a while, too.  Dare I raise the question "so what's 
new about that?"

The Hill hearings this week and the resulting stories about cyberwar and 
cybersecurity, and the advice contained in a recent GAO report about 
ideas to improve security are nothing more than the newest folks in DC 
pontificating publicly about the SAME stuff we've been hearing for 10, 
15+ years.  The only thing that's improved during this time is this 
town's ability to spin its wheels while doing nothing to address the 
problem it claims to worry so much about.

Le mal sigh.  :(

-rf

On Nov 19, 2009, at 03:20 , InfoSec News wrote:

> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125850773065753011.html
>
> By Siobhan Gorman
> Wall Street Journal
> November 19, 2009
>
> The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking at people with suspected
> links to al Qaeda who have shown an interest in mounting an attack on
> computer systems that control critical U.S. infrastructure, a senior
> official told Congress Tuesday.
>
> While there is no evidence that terrorist groups have developed
> sophisticated cyber-attack capabilities, a lack of security protections
> in U.S. computer software increases the likelihood that terrorists could
> execute attacks in the future, the official warned.
>
> If terrorists were to amass such capabilities, they would be wielded
> with "destructive and deadly intent," Steven Chabinsky, deputy assistant
> director of the FBI's Cyber Division, told the Senate Judiciary
> Committee Tuesday.
>
> "The FBI is aware of and investigating individuals who are affiliated
> with or sympathetic to al Qaeda who have recognized and discussed the
> vulnerabilities of the U.S. infrastructure to cyber-attack," Mr.
> Chabinsky told the committee, without providing details.
>
> Such infrastructure could include power grids and transportation
> systems.
>
> [...]
>
>
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